A Mother's Choice
by TwilightMommyof4girls
Summary: Set during New Moon. Edward and the Cullens leave as they did in the book but one person stays behind to look after Bella. Who is it and what difference will it make?
1. Chapter 1

a/N: This story just wouldn't let me go. I have the first four chapters finished and I will begin posting after Christmas. Just so you know, I am not Stephenie Meyer, so therefore I do not own Twilight, I just like to play with the characters!.

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"There is no damn way that this is what's best for her," I seethed, looking at my family.

"She will get over it. She needs to live a normal healthy human life," Edward said. "She can't do that with me."

"Will you forget her?" I asked.

"Of course not. But human memories fade," Edward answered.

"True love does not forget. It weather's the test of time. Human or not," I said.

"She needs a future. Not death, because if she stays with me that's what she'll get, death," he seethed.

"She loves you," I said. "How can you walk away as if that means nothing? She loves every one of us and we're all supposed to leave, most of us without even a goodbye. How can you do that to her? All of you?"

I looked around at my family. pleading with my eyes for them to stay.

"Jasper, you know how she feels. Tell him, tell them all. Tell Edward that she loves him with all her heart. She won't get over this. She won't forget," I begged.

"He already knows," Jasper said sadly. "He won't listen."

"Edward you are taking away her whole world. She loves this family and we love her. Even Rosalie does," I begged.

"We need to leave now. Everything is packed. It's time," Edward said, his face a mask of pain.

"Don't do this to her!" I begged again. "We can't just leave her like this!"

"I have to. If I don't go now..." he trailed off as he ran out the door. I heard the engine start on is Aston Martin but he didn't pull away.

"If Edward feels that this is best, we must respect his wishes," Carlisle said, looking at me with pity.

"He is wrong, Carlisle. You know it and I know it," I said. "And Bella Swan pays the price."

"She will forget. Human memories fade," Carlisle said.

"Not all of them. What do you remember of your human life? Your mother? Your father?" I asked. "You remember love. So do I. You can't forget love. It may dampen some. It my ease but it never dies."

"I have to respect his wishes. We all do. We owe him that. He has spent nearly a century going along with our wishes and each of us owes it to him in return," Carlisle said.

"And we forget the pain that this will cause Bella?" I asked. "We forget the girl left behind to face heartbreak with no one to turn to?"

"She has her father and mother," he said.

"Who know nothing of us," I said. "She has secrets that were hard to keep when we were near and now she has to bear them alone."

"We follow Edward and that is final. This is his decision," Carlisle said, with an air of finality.

I would not be swayed. I knew Isabella Marie Swan. I knew she loved Edward and our family to the depth of her soul and by leaving her, we might as well have killed her.

"What about her wishes? Does she mean nothing to any of you?" I yelled. I would not be dissuaded.

"Of course she does. She's my best friend," Alice said, sobbing without tears. Jasper wrapped his arms around her.

"Who will hold her when she cries?" I asked Alice. "Charlie? Maybe Jessica or Lauren? Or maybe she will fly back to her flighty mother, who was so concerned with her own life that she didn't see the sacrifices that Bella made for her?"

"I love her. She is the best friend I have ever had. She loved me for who I was, not for what I can do. She took me in as her friend. She never judged me. She..." Alice said, before sobbing into Jasper's shoulder once more.

"And yet you leave her without even saying goodbye," I said to her. "What kind of friend does that?"

"It's for the best," Alice sobbed. "Edward loves her. He knows what is best. We have to trust him."

"No!" I yelled. "Trust him?? I trust that he will spend the rest of his life miserable. She is his other half. She completes him and yet he is cowardly enough to walk away from her!"

"Cowardly?" Edward roared, coming back into the house. "This is the hardest thing I have ever done. I am doing it because it is the right thing to do. Because I love her more than anything. She deserves to be loved and cherished. She deserves to be loved by someone that doesn't have to hold back. Someone who doesn't risk killing her with every touch."

"Someone like Mike Newton?" I asked, knowing his hatred of the Newton boy.

"She has better taste than that," he scoffed.

"A heartbroken person is an easy target. Mike Newton would love to sink his claws into her. Or Tyler or even Eric," I said, trying to goad him.

"They are better for her than I am," he said with a resigned sigh.

"And do you think she could love them as she loves you?" I asked. "Would she kiss them? Mold her body against theirs? Would she relish in their warm touches or would she always miss her first love? Will every human man pale in comparison to her vampire love?"

"Stop!" he roared, running his fingers through his hair.

"Why? Does it hurt? What about Bella? Where do you think she is? Standing in the forest where you left her? Or maybe curled on her bed sobbing? How is she feeling?" I goaded some more.

"Please!" he begged, and I almost relented but picturing Bella's tear stained face in my imagination brought my anger back full throttle.

"I love you Edward. But you are being an ass!" I said. "She needs you. She needs us all!"

"We're leaving," he said quietly and I watched as everyone paired off, using their mate to calm them. Alice and Jasper were practically cocooned together and Emmett and Rose were in a similar stance. Carlisle moved to my side to try to comfort me but I wanted no comfort.

"You can go, but I won't. I won't leave her. She is my child as much as any of you. She is a part of us.... She may be human but she is one of us!"

"You are leaving me?" Carlisle asked.

"Technically you are leaving me," I said to him, holding my hand to his cheek. "I love you."

He looked at me, absolutely crushed. We had not spent more than a night apart since.. well since forever.

"You have to come. It won't be the same without you," Alice said.

"I won't abandon her like the rest of you are doing. I won't just leave her," I said.

"You can't interfere in her life," Edward yelled, getting in my face.

"I can and I will, if she needs me," I said, getting right back in his. My non-confrontational personality had taken a back seat.

I glared at my first son until he turned away with a huff.

"If she gets over it, as you say she will, then I will join you in Alaska. If not then I will stay where she is for as long as she needs me. I do not often open my mouth and speak my mind, but you are all wrong!"

"Please come with us," Carlisle begged.

"Stay with me," I said to him in the same tone.

"I can't. Edward has made his choice," he said.

"And I have made mine. I will not be forced to leave my daughter," I said.

REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As much as I wish I did, I do not own these characters. They belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. **

** I am glad everyone seems to be enjoying this story. Esme is such an under evolved character in fan fiction that i enjoyed giving her something to do. I have read many stories where various Cullens have stayed behind when Edward left, but never Esme. I hope you continue to enjoy. **

** My beta, acemckean, has been sick and very busy so I am looking for a second beta for my stories: Searching, A Mother's Choice, Once Upon a Stormy Night and Interview With a Vampire as well as two one shots that I have written. If you are interested PM me. **

** And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter : Callmemrswrite :)**

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Carlisle and I stood locked, eye to eye. The kids moved around us, no one daring to speak. They were waiting for one of us to cave. It was not going to be me. Each of my children made one last sweep of the house, making sure that they had everything they wanted.

"Please?" Carlisle begged. "Don't separate our family."

"You are the ones making me choose. I can't do it, Carlisle. I love Bella and I know her. I know her heart. Edward seems to believe that her love for him is a temporary thing... And at this point I pray that he is right. I don't believe he is. She will be heart broken. This was not a temporary thing for her. She has seen the reality of our world, met it head on and didn't flinch. She stood up to James, knowing she had no hope of winning to protect her mother. And then you saw the tape Carlisle. She was moments from a torturous death and still she wanted to protect us. She didn't want Edward to get hurt... These are not fickle emotions," I pleaded with my husband.

"Bella is special. But Edward wants her to move on. To have all the human experiences she deserves. She can't have that with him. She can't have children, get old... None of that is in her future with him. Can you honestly say you want to take those possibilities away from her?" he asked.

I was silent. We would not see eye to eye.

Everything was loaded and just waiting for Carlisle's final okay. He finally turned from our position and instructed them to get on the road. I stood by the door to say goodbye before they left.

Emmett and Rose were first. Rose looked angry but Emmett looked like someone just kicked his puppy.

"I love you guys. I hope you understand I am not choosing her over you. She just has nobody left who will understand. As soon as she is okay, I will join you all," I promised, hugging my teddy bear son and my misunderstood daughter.

Everyone thought Rosalie was tough as nails, but I saw it for what it was. An act to protect her from getting hurt again. Royce's betrayal in her human life, though more than seventy years ago, affected her o this day.

They both hugged me and Rose whimpered slightly as Emmett led her down to their cars.

Jasper and Alice were next.

"You know why I have to stay, Jasper," I said to my newest son.

"I do. I only hope it is enough," he said, turning to glare at Edward, before hugging me.

"Alice, I know Edward has told you not to look for her anymore, and I agree. I believe what you see will kill you... So please don't, at least for a while," I said to my pixie daughter. I could feel her heartbreak and I wasn't an empath. Jasper must be barely standing with all these emotions swirling around.

She didn't say a word in response, just hugged me close to her, sobbing into my chest. We stood, holding each other as I began to understand just how much this whole situation was killing Alice.

Her husband was devastated, feeling guilty about causing this. Her brother was heartbroken, her family was, for all intents and purposes, splitting up, and she was losing her only real friend. Carlisle was really going to have his hands full.

As Alice relinquished her hold on me, Jasper pulled her to him and they headed for her car. She didn't even attempt to drive, moving to the passenger seat of her car. So not Alice.

Edward moved up to me next.

"Why?" he asked, looking at me.

"I need to make sure she will be okay. If she is then I will join you, but if I don't you know what a mess you've left behind," I said.

"I never ask for anything. I am asking this. Please, just leave her be. Let her go on with her life," Edward said.

"I won't promise you anything, Edward. You are right. You never ask for anything, except for the one thing I can't give you. I love her too. We all do. You brought her into our lives, you taught us how to love her and now you are asking us all to forget. You know none of us ever will. Now we all have each other for comfort, Edward, but she has nobody. The friends she did have here were brushed to the side for us. Charlie lives his own life and even if he starts to stay home more, he isn't emotionally able to be her father, not the way she'll need. Edward, you haven't just taken away the love of her life in this, but you've removed a best friend and a second family. And you think she'll just get over it? That she'll be sad for a day or two and bounce back?" I said to my son.

"She's human. We all know that human memories fade," he said.

"Except for love and loss. That's what we all remember from our human lives. Love and loss. I remember my love for my family and for my son. I remember the pain of losing him. If you think the memories of her love leaving and taking her best friend and second family will fade quickly, then you know less about humanity than I could have guessed," I said.

"Please, Esme. Please let her get over us and move on. I need to know that she will get everything she deserves. It's..." Edward begged.

"Edward. I promise that I will stay in the background. She will never know I'm here unless it's necessary, but I will not abandon her," I said.

"And nothing I say will change your mind. If I beg you to come, will you?" he asked.

"Not until I know that she's okay," I said. "I hope you know what you're doing."

He muttered, "I hope I do too." Then he was gone. I heard the Aston Martin start up and peel out down the driveway.

Then it was only Carlisle.

"Esme," he said softly, pulling me into his arms.

"I love you," I told him, pulling him to me tightly. He began kissing my neck and running his fingers softly up and down my spine. He knew this drove me crazy.

"Please reconsider," he said.

Now I was angry. I pulled away from him and glared.

"Carlisle Cullen!" I admonished. "Seduce me to sway me, is that it?"

"No. I just can't stand that you want to leave this family. We've always stuck together and now you are destroying that," he said angrily.

"I'm destroying that?" I asked, laughing humorlessly. "Damn it! Seriously?"

"We've always done what's best for this family and now you are going against our son's wishes," he said. "You are tearing us apart."

"Is that the way you feel? How about what I feel? Carlisle, leaving her is the most unnatural thing in the world. The feeling, from all those years ago, the one that brought me to the cliff, to my death... This is it. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him. I put him to sleep and he didn't wake up and I couldn't say goodbye. Damn it Carlisle! I didn't protect him and he needed me. I was asleep, and I didn't even know until the next morning. Don't you see that this is the same thing?" I begged.

"It's not the same," he said softly trying to comfort me.

"Maybe it isn't. Maybe this is worse. She is my daughter, maybe not of my womb, but of my heart. And you are all telling me to forget her. I was asked to leave my daughter behind without a goodbye. I know she will be hurting and she will have nobody. I can protect her from that. I can help her. I couldn't keep my son safe and protected but I can do that for Bella. I can't stop her heart from breaking but I can help her. Please, Carlisle?" I begged as my eyes began to glisten, the venom pooled there as tears would, threatening to spill down my cheeks.

"And what of Edward? And Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper? Don't they need you?" he asked, not denying my feelings at least.

"I'm not saying that. But they have each other. Can't you talk to him Carlisle? Make him see reason! You know he'll never be happy without her. Just as she will never be truly happy without him. She may get married in time and have all the things he wants for her, but she won't be truly happy," I told him.

"You don't know that, Es," he said.

"But I do. I know her Carlisle. I know her heart and soul. I know that he left her under an hour ago and that she is probably nearly catatonic from her grief... And I don't even know what he said. I can only imagine it was horrific if she let him go and didn't come chasing after him," I said.

"You can't know that, Es. I'm sure he wouldn't..." he started.

"What? Lie to her?" I asked. "What do you think she would have done if he had told her the truth? She would have been here. She would have fought for him! The only way he was able to let her go was to lie to him. To tell her that he didn't love her, or maybe that she wasn't good for him... She would never have accepted anything else... You know her Carlisle. You do. And what would those lies do?" I asked, the venom now actually streaming down my cheeks.

"We don't know, Esme. We need to protect what we have. You can't just abandon us," he said.

"But it's okay for us all to abandon Bella?" I asked. "What do you feel about her? What is she to you, Carlisle? A toy? An inconvenience? Or a beloved daughter? Because if your answer is anything but the last one, I don't know you anymore," I told him.

"Es, Honey..." he said, softly.

"What if I said I'd come if you sent Edward away?" I asked.

"You wouldn't ask that," he said.

"And if I did? If I told you that I would never forgive him for what he has done here in Forks? I didn't want to see him ever again. Would you send him away for me?" I asked.

"He's my son. You'd never ask that of me," he said.

"She's my daughter. She's a sister and a best friend and you ask that of me and demand that of the others because it's what Edward wants," I said. "I won't leave her."

"We can't stay," he said sadly.

"We could. If you would just stand up and tell your perfect son that he is wrong!" I said.

"Is he?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"So we force him to stay? We force her to be in danger daily? What if it's Emmett next time? What if it's Rose or Alice or Jasper again? Do you think any of them could survive if they killed her? Do you not see the danger to her? Do you not see the danger of having her in our world?" he asked, obviously angry.

"So we change her," I said. "Alice has seen it. It would solve everything."

"It would solve nothing," he said. "Only dooming her to this fate. You long to be a mother to more than our adopted teenagers. I know this. You have always missed having a child at your breast or a toddler running amuck. And, Rose wants it more than anything else. She would give up everything for that chance, yet you are willing to take it from Bella. How can we justify that? There is a reason that I changed Edward, then you, then Rose and finally Emmett. There was no other option."

I was silent. It truly was my only regret. Could I doom Bella to this fate?

"And what of her soul? Are we sentencing her to eternal damnation?" he asked again.

"Don't tell me you have no soul, Carlisle Cullen! You have the sweetest, kindest soul! And if it comes to pass that you do die or that I die, I would not want to be in a heaven that would judge us because of what we are. The only thing that you did wrong was get bitten by a vampire and you think that you will be kept from heaven?" I asked.

"For all of you it was death or vampire life, and even then I struggled with my decision. To end her life simply to keep her in ours... I can't fathom it," he said softly.

Now we were getting to some of the real issues.

"If it wasn't for Edward she'd have been dead how many times already?" I asked. "If he wasn't at the school when Tyler's van had that accident? If he hadn't rescued her from those animals in Port Angeles?"

"But she isn't dead and we'd be wrong to take her life. There is a reason the treaty is the way it is," he said.

"Now we talk about the treaty. We should have thought about all these things before we changed her life. She will be a human going through life with a secret that can either get her locked up in the looney bin or killed! And what of Victoria? Do we know that she isn't a threat anymore?" I asked.

"She hasn't been back since James was killed. They were obviously not true mates, but together for convenience... And you saw how well that worked with Laurent. He's happy in Denali with Irina," he said.

Carlisle pulled me into his arms. "I don't know if I can function without you. Es... How can I be without you?"

"I don't know Carlisle. I don't. I just know I can't leave her," I said in a whisper.

We just stood, holding each other. He finally understood my position, and while I couldn't say I understood his, I admired his sense of loyalty towards our son.

It was only moments later when our embrace was broken by the sound of the phone. Carlisle used it as his cue to leave, kissing me softly before he ran out the door to his car. I went to the phone, answering it as soon as I saw on the call display that it was Charlie Swan.

"Hello, Chief Swan," I said as I answered the phone.

"Oh, Mrs. Cullen. Thank God! Is Bella there? Please?" he said, sounding absolutely frantic.

"No, Charlie. I haven't seen her since her birthday," I answered.

"Can you ask Edward?" he asked frantically. "They went for a walk in the woods after school. That's what her note said."

"Charlie, she isn't with Edward. He is gone... So is the rest of the family. I only remained to shut down the house," I said. "What did the note say?"

"Just that they had gone for a walk. When did he leave?" he asked.

"He got back to the house just about 4:30. They all left town shortly after. I'll be right there to help any way that I can," I said.

Damn it! What happened to her? I rushed to throw on some more rugged clothes than the skirt and heels I was currently wearing then I jumped into my car and made my way to the Swan house. I arrived about twenty minutes after the call, and Charlie met me in the driveway.

"How can I help?" I asked.

"Where are the rest?" he asked. "You said they were gone."

"We're leaving Forks. Carlisle got a job offer that he just had to accept. They wanted him to start right away..." I started to explain.

"So he took her for a walk in the woods to tell her? He just left her there?" he asked angrily.

"He wouldn't do that. I don't know where she is Charlie but I'm here to help you look," I explained.

"I'm going in to make calls. I'm getting a search team together," he said.

"I'll start checking the woods. Maybe she's close," I said.

"And maybe she has figured out a way to meet your boy. Maybe they ran off together," he said angrily.

"Edward is with Carlisle and the others. She isn't with them. Let me start to look Charlie," I said. "I may not look like much but I am good in the woods."

"Let me get you a flashlight," he said.

I couldn't exactly explain that I didn't need one so I waited impatiently for Charlie to get the damned prop. He was back quickly and I turned the light on and headed into the woods. As soon as I was out of sight I put the light down and started following Bella's scent. I found the area that Edward had obviously left her. She was in sight of the house so why had she gone deeper into the woods? Had she gone after him?

I used my speed to follow her scent. She had wandered aimlessly, sometimes crisscrossing the same paths. It was only minutes later when I found her, lying curled on the forest floor.

"Bella, Darling," I called, dropping to my knees next to her.

"Esme?" she said, looking at me with her huge brown eyes. "It was all a dream! Where is he? I need him!"

She struggled to try to get up. I could smell fresh blood on her hands, but it didn't hold any temptation for me.

"It wasn't a dream, Bella. Tell me what happened? What did he say?" I prompted.

"He told me you guys were leaving...that people were suspicious of Carlisle at the hospital. I assumed that I would go with him...that I would go with you all. He told me...." she stopped and looked up at me.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He told me I wasn't good enough for him... That he didn't love me anymore... He...." she broke off with a sob tearing from her chest.

I cradled her to my chest as any mother would hold their child. I didn't know which was stronger, my desire to kick my son's ass or to comfort my daughter. As she clung to me, I realized that Edward's ass could wait. I would make certain that she was alright first.... But he was going to have a dent the size of my foot in his ass at my earliest convenience.

I knew that Charlie would have searchers out soon and I would need to get back to the area as soon as possible. I picked Bella up, still cradled to me and ran back in the direction of her house. When we reached the flashlight I set her down again.

"Bella," I said to my sobbing daughter. "Charlie is worried sick. What do we tell him?"

"I don't know," she whimpered.

"I told him that the others are gone. I will make something up but I need you to walk with me. He won't understand if I carry you out," I pled.

"Okay," she whimpered, not letting go of her hold on my shirt.

I stood, pulling her up with me, grabbed the flashlight and made my way towards her yard, kind of pulling her along with me. Once we reached the grass I called out to Charlie. He flung the backdoor open as soon as he heard my voice.

"Esme?" he questioned, staring into the darkness.

"I have her, Charlie," I said quickly, stepping into the light coming from the back door.

"Bella!" he yelled launching himself across the yard, towards his daughter.

He tried to wrench her from my arms and I was prepared to relinquish her, but she refused to let me go. Her fingers clung to the fabric of my jacket desperately. I could have pulled them off easily but I knew she needed to hold on to something, to feel some sort of control of the situation.

"Let's get her inside," I said to Charlie, shrugging my shoulders.

We made our way inside and as soon as we were in the door, Charlie went straight to the phone while I sat with Bella on the couch. She just sat where I placed her, with her eyes wide open and her head leaning on my shoulder.

"Where were you, Bella?" Charlie finally asked, his tone a mixture of anger and concern.

"We went for a walk," she said. "I knew something was wrong. He had to leave... Move. I wanted to go but he said I couldn't. I needed to stay here. I could see the house when he left but I didn't want to be home alone. I turned and walked... I just walked. I didn't know where to go... I..."

She stopped talking then. The emotions were too much for her. The anger I felt for my son and the rest of my family was intense. Not one of them would be free from my wrath.

Charlie just looked at her and shook his head, disappointment etched on his face. Bella didn't notice, she just stared blankly at the floor. I could feel her body tremble and I knew we needed to warm her up quickly.

"She's freezing, Charlie, maybe you should get her into the shower," I said, prompting her father to actually help her.

Charlie was nodding enthusiastically before I even finished the sentence. He wanted to do something, I guess he was a man of action, because he certainly wasn't a man of words.

"No, Esme, please!" she said, her voice was raspy and desperate.

"Bella. I'm still here. I'm not leaving. Not as long as you need me. Do you understand? Let's get you taken care of, then we'll talk, okay?" I soothed.

She nodded softly and I looked into her eyes. The sparkle of life that had been so much of Bella was gone. Edward was going to hear from me and soon! My foot was itching for his backside!

Charlie was relieved that I was taking her up, and he took the opportunity to turn on the television. When he disappeared into the kitchen I hoped he would make Bella some tea or soup. He simply grabbed a beer from the fridge.

Emotionally stunted man!

I walked with her to the stairs and practically carried her up, mentally it seemed Bella was nearing a meltdown of epic proportions. As I got her to the top of the stairs, I could hear Charlie sighing in relief and I growled softly. This is who Edward left to care for Bella?

It wasn't that he was a bad man, he just wasn't comfortable with emotions. He liked the status quo, nothing out of his comfort zone. And Bella's emotions were definitely out of his comfort zone. He would never be able to be there emotionally for Bella, it just wasn't in his constitution.

As soon as I had her warmed up and settled into her bed, I was going to call Carlisle. Maybe if they all knew the mess they left behind, they would be back. I was certain, that if he groveled enough, she would take Edward back. She needed him just as much as he needed her.

I started the water and helped strip her down, as she was unable to do it herself. She was only in her underclothes when she looked up into my eyes. Hers were filled with tears.

"Why doesn't he love me? What did I do wrong?" she whimpered so low that had I not been a vampire I would have missed them all together.

How do I answer those questions without breaking her heart, without lying and without betraying Edward?


	3. Chapter 3

I chose to ignore her questions momentarily, but I promised myself that the next time she said anything I would not.

"Let's get you warmed up," I said, helping her into the shower. She didn't even flinch when the warm water made contact with her icy skin. She just stood there, letting the water wash over her.

Once I was certain she was warm enough I set about washing her hair. The sleeves of my shirt were getting damp but I really didn't care. I applied the strawberry shampoo and conditioner to her hair then rinsed it, finally turning the water off. She didn't say a word, didn't cry, didn't even move voluntarily. I got her out of the water and wrapped a small towel around her. It was far from the big fluffy towels that we were used to.

She just moved with me as if on automatic pilot, unable to think or do for herself. As I dried her off I spoke to her.

"Bella, Honey, you're going to be okay. I'm here and I'm going to make sure of it," I promised her.

I guided her out of the bathroom to her bedroom and searched the small space for her pajamas. I found some flannel pants and a T-shirt and I dressed her in them, forgoing underclothes for the time being. Once she was dressed, I sat her on her bed, bundling her in her quilt. I was just about to start brushing her hair when she started to sob.

Her gut wrenching sobs broke me. I could hear the sadness in her soul and I cursed Edward for not understanding the depth of her feelings. I grabbed her into my arms and rocked her again. Holding her tight to my chest, I ran my fingers through her hair and spoke softly to her.

"Bella, you are such a strong and brave young lady. I know you're hurting, but please believe me when I say that I will be here. I will not leave you," I said.

"He lied," she said pathetically, and I thought for a moment that she realized that whatever drivel Edward had spouted in the forest was untrue.

"He told me he would always love me. He told me he'd never leave and he lied," she whimpered. "And you are lying too, because you will leave me... Just like him."

"Bella, please," I said. "Sweetheart, I will be here for you whenever you need me. He is wrong, so wrong, and I will not make his mistakes."

"Alice doesn't love me either. She didn't even say goodbye," she said.

"She does love you. It is impossible not to love you. You are so sweet and caring. You love without question and with your whole heart. Never doubt what you have meant to us, all of us. And what have you learned about us, Bella? Think of some of the things you know," I pled with her. "I love you like you are my own daughter. I know I don't have the right to but I do."

"I love you, too. I always thought of you like my mom," she sniffled.

"Let's get your hair brushed before it ends up as a big snarled mess," I said, running my fingers though her damp hair.

"Okay," she said sitting up, struggling to calm the hitch in her breathing from all of her crying.

I grabbed a brush and started running it gently though her hair. She was tired, both physically and mentally and I wanted to make sure she got a decent rest. After I brushed her hair I tied it back in a single french braid and encouraged her to get some sleep.

"You won't leave?" she asked.

"I have to hunt, and make some calls. But I promise I will be here in the morning," I said.

"Oh. Are you calling him?" she asked.

"Only Carlisle. If he happens to be there, I may have some words with him," she said.

"Don't get mad at him. It isn't his fault..." she started, defending him still, even after he broke her heart.

"Bella. I am angry with him, and with everyone. I can't explain it but they are wrong so very wrong. You are a part of my family, a very important part," I started explaining.

"But I'm not anymore. Edward doesn't love me. I'm not his girlfriend so..." she muttered, sounding embarrassed.

"Bella, I didn't love you because of Edward. I met you because of Edward, but the fact I love you like a daughter has nothing to do with him. The same goes for Emmett and Alice. They both adore you. Alice has never had a friend until she met you. I guess Rosalie is her friend but Rose is difficult at best, and everything is always on her terms. You on the other hand accepted her, with all her quirks and demands, often going against everything you wanted to make her happy. And Emmett, I have never seen him as happy as he was when you are there. He is free to be the big goofball he is and you never judged him for it. Even Rose, as bitchy as she has been and as badly as she has treated you, you always treated her with respect. And Jasper, my poor son, even after he tried to attack you at the party, you defended him, before he was even pulled from the room. And he never sensed any fear from you. You knew about his past and never judged where he'd come from. The acceptance you showed us all has been unprecedented and that was all you Bella. You are beautiful, smart, loving, accepting, giving and understanding, plus so much more. You never judged any of us. Never gave a second's hesitation to enter our home, except I heard to worry about whether we would like you or not. And whether you believe it or not, and whether they have shown it or not the whole family does love you," I said.

"Except Edward," she said sadly.

"Tell me exactly what has happened since your birthday," I said.

She sighed and I could see the pain in her eyes radiating all the way to her soul.

"Let's get cozy first and then you can tell me all about it," I said. She nodded and I sat back against her headboard and set her pillows up for her next to me. She settled in and started talking.

"I knew something was wrong right away," she said quietly. "I thought he was angry and that he'd feel better in a day or two. But no matter what I said he just seemed to slip further and further away. I hoped he was just brooding, that it would get better. I almost felt like he was avoiding me. Then today he finally stopped...." she said, breaking down.

I didn't say a word, I just wrapped my arms around her and let her cry. When she finally calmed down

"After school he asked to meet me at my house," she continued. "I though he was feeling better. When we got here I was going to take my bag inside and spend some time with him, but he said to leave it in the truck and asked me to go for a walk with him. I was so excited, Esme, I thought that he was finally getting back to himself. He held my hand and we walked into the woods, then he stopped. I could still see the house and I wondered why we were stopping there. We hadn't really walked far at all. Then he told me you were leaving, that people were getting suspicious of Carlisle at the hospital and that you needed to go. I assumed that when he said 'we' need to leave that he meant me too. I thought he still wanted me and was worried how we would explain this to Charlie... But then he made it very clear that I was not included in the we. I knew it had to do with the attack and I told him it didn't matter. He told me that the attack wasn't the problem, that it was just another thing that proved we didn't belong together. I thought that maybe he was doing it to protect me, and I told him that it didn't matter. Then he explained... I wasn't what he wanted. I wasn't good enough for him and he didn't love me anymore..."

She couldn't continue and it was all I could do not to scream in frustration. He knew that she wouldn't let him leave unless he crushed her. He assumed that she would forget eventually so he crushed her, played her weakness and crushed her. I was absolutely seething at this point. A foot sized dent in his ass was the least of his worries. At this point I was willing to rip him limb from limb and hide the pieces! The stupid boy, not only did he break her heart, he ripped what little self confidence she had to shreds and used the rest of us to help. I can't imagine what would have happened if I hadn't stayed. She would have been completely destroyed.

"Bella, Sweetheart," I said, soothing her. "I am going to tell you this, even though I am going against the whole rest of the family. He lied. He lied, Sweetheart. You were right. This was all just to protect you. He didn't want to turn you because of his belief that it would ruin your chance at heaven and he saw how dangerous it was for you in our world as a human. He tried to sacrifice his happiness for you, not realizing he was hurting you in the process."

I did it. I did the one thing that I swore I wouldn't do. But, damn it, he left me no choice. I could not allow Bella to believe for one more minute that she wasn't enough for him. If anything she was too good for him.

"But, Esme, he said that he didn't love me. He said he'd be fine, that he'd never forget but he'd have distractions," she said.

"I guarantee there will be no distraction for him, Bella," I said.

"He promised I'd forget him. That it would be like he never existed. I bet he took my stuff! My pictures and my CD," she said, popping out of bed.

She went to her CD player and opened the lid. There was no CD inside, then she grabbed her photo album off the shelf, opening it up. No pictures of the family anywhere, only a few blank spots where they had obviously been.

"Why, Esme?" she asked.

"I can't explain, Sweetheart," I said. "I simply don't know. I rarely understand his reasoning for anything."

"So what now?" she asked.

"Now," I said. "You sleep and I have some phone calls to make. Then tomorrow you have some decisions to make. He made some choices for you that he shouldn't have. You need to decide how you are going to deal with them."

"He still loves me?" she asked.

"With everything he is," I said, guiding her back to her bed.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," she said as she lay down.

"No matter," I said. "You lie there and think about it. I'll convince Charlie that you need the rest of the week off of school and you and I will spend the time together and discuss what needs to happen. Okay?"

"Thank you, Esme," she said. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"I don't know what I'd do without you either, Sweetheart. You are as much my daughter as any of my other children and you and I are going to stick together until we figure this all out."

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Don't tell him I know yet. I don't know what I want to do about it and if he doesn't know I know...." she said.

"I won't tell any of them. I will tell them about finding you in the forest, but the rest will be our little secret," I said to her. I could be angry at them without revealing the rest. I would leave the next step up to her. It was the least I could do.

"Thank you. I love you, Mom," she said.

I kissed her head and left her room, closing the door behind me. I would convince Charlie to let her stay home, hunt, then kick some vampire ass, at least on the phone for now.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I always forget disclaimers... so here it goes. I do not own Twilight. I only play with the characters. The wonderful Stephenie Meyer owns it all. Much love to her for creating such great characters for us all to enjoy!

As I descended the stairs I could hear Charlie muttering bout Edward. Of course I couldn't admit to hearing, nor could I truly admit to agreeing with it.

"Hey Charlie," I said, coming into the room.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Better. I think she's just as lost as Edward," I said.

"Honestly Esme, he may be your son, but I don't want to hear his name," he said.

I had to defend Edward, not that I really wanted to, but I had hopes that he would pull his head out of his ass and make things right with Bella. And if that were to happen, Charlie hating him wouldn't do.

"He did things wrong. No doubt. But this was all sprung on him quickly. Maybe he didn't do things quite right with her but he is hurting just as much as she is. He's seventeen years old, Charlie, I'm sure you weren't the smartest guy at seventeen either," I said.

"He left her in the woods, Esme," he said. "What kind of ass does that?"

"On the trail directly behind your house, in sight of the house, Charlie. He certainly couldn't have expected she would go wandering into the woods," I defended.

It was seriously burning my buttons to defend him when all I wanted to do was rip his throat out, but what's a mother to do?

"He made her too dependent on him," he said.

"Made her?" I asked. "They are in love, Charlie. Real and true love. He is just as dependent on her, maybe more so. He has never opened up to anyone the way he did with her. She made him see and feel things that he didn't know were possible. He reacted badly to this change, and maybe Carlisle and I didn't think it through well enough but damn it, you are being unfair to Edward and unfair to Bella," I said, truly getting mad at Charlie.

"He loves her?" he asked.

"With all he is, Charlie. Having to leave her behind is killing him," I said honestly. Well honestly except for the 'having to leave' part.

"And she loves him?" he asked.

"With all she is," I said. "She is absolutely heartbroken. And rightfully so."

"So what now?" he asked, rubbing his fingers over his mustache.

Men and their nervous habits! Edward pinches the bridge of his nose, Emmett drums his fingers, Jasper runs his hands through his hair and Carlisle folds his hands together, almost in prayer and opens and closes his fingers. Charlie was obviously out of his league talking about emotions, but at least he seems to understand that the kids truly love each other.

"Now I go home and place a call to Carlisle. I don't know what to say about what happened tonight. I don't know what to say about any of this. I just don't know," I said, being completely truthful.

"Me neither," he said.

"Do you think you could call Isabella in sick tomorrow for school?" I asked. "I don't think she'll be in any state to concentrate on school work. It would probably best for the rest of the week. You know what the gossip mongers are like around here. It won't be easy on her."

"Do you think she needs it?" he asked.

"I do," I said. "She is emotionally drained. She needs some time to deal with her emotions before the people of this town gets ahold of her. I am positive that the news of her disappearance have made their rounds, not to mention the fact that my family has all left town. It will be hard to deal with."

"Fine. I agree she shouldn't have to deal with the crap around here right now but Esme, I can't stand to see her hurt. I don't know how I feel about her and Edward," he said. "They are too young to really be in love."

"Tell me something Charlie," I said, hedging my bets. "How old were you when you fell in love with Renee?"

"Sixteen," he answered. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Do you still love her?" I asked.

"She's married to someone else," he answered, ignoring my question.

"That's not what I asked," I said.

"Yes," he answered quietly, stroking his mustache. "But Renee obviously doesn't feel the same."

"No. I guess she doesn't," I conceded. "But Bella loves him with everything she is, just as he loves her... If it is within my power, I will fix this between them."

"Do it," he said, softly. "I don't want her to live with a lifetime of regret... And she is too much like me to do anything else. I have been in love with Renee for twenty one years, and pining over her for seventeen. I don't want that for her."

"Me neither. I don't want that for either one of them," I told him honestly.

I hated to see Edward hurt, even if it was due to his own stupidity. I would fix this for them, I just had to figure out how.

I said goodnight to Charlie as I listened to Bella's even breathing upstairs. I hoped that knowing she was loved would help her with this. I couldn't imagine the alternative... And I dreaded thinking what would have happened if I had gone too.

I drove home through the dark streets of Forks to the house. I loved this house, in fact, out of every house that we had ever lived in, it was my favorite. As I pondered all the reasons for that fact I was met with one inexplicable conclusion, Bella. I thought back to her first visit here. So tentative and shy. I assumed it was because she was walking into a house full of vampires. Not the case, she was worried about what we would think of her.

How could we not love her? Rosalie included, although she tried valiantly not to. She was all the things I had told her she was and more. She was brave, strong, accepting, generous, caring, loving, compassionate, genuine and downright good. Her heart and soul were pure and beautiful. She brought Edward to life here. Showed him and all of us that he had the ability to love and be loved. She was never angry at Jasper for the events at her birthday, in fact, thinking about her conversation with Carlisle that night, illustrated just how sweet she was.

***

_"Hold still, Bella," Carlisle said. "I need to stitch your arm up. I'll give you a shot to numb the area."_

_"Just tell me when I can open my eyes," she had said. The irony of her phobia of blood was not lost on any of us._

_Carlisle had been beside himself. He worried that she would push us away and set about doing what he could to diffuse the situation._

_"I am certain Jasper feels horrible about all this," he said to her._

_"He shouldn't," she said, her voice oozing honesty._

_"And why is that," Carlisle had asked, incredulously._

_"It was natural. I mean if I tried to be friends with a container of Rocky Road Ice Cream, it would be fine.... At least until someone opened the lid, and then it would be game over," she said._

_Leave it to Bella to trivialize her near death experience and then somehow compare it to ice cream. _

_"Oh," Carlisle said._

_And she rendered Carlisle speechless. Can't say I have ever seen that from a human before._

_***_

Carlisle. In all my years I have never been as angry or as disappointed in him. And ALice. She had to have seen Bella's reaction to Edward's bomb, yet she still left. And Edward... There aren't enough words for what I feel about him. I walked into the dark house, not bothering to turn on any lights. I didn't need them, nor did I want them to illuminate the empty house.

I grabbed the house phone and sat on the couch. I dialed Carlisle's number and prepared for my tirade.

"Es," he said, answering the phone. "Have you changed your mind yet?'

"After everything I have been through this evening you would have to start this conversation like that," I hissed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The phone call. The one I answered as you left... It was Charlie Swan. Apparently Bell was missing. The note that she left said she had gone for a walk in the woods with Edward. She never returned," I seethed.

"What do you mean, Esme?" he asked, a touch of pain in his voice.

Good!

"I mean that the no good excuse for a son we call Edward, took her for a walk in the woods to break her heart and though he left her in sight of her house, he must of had an inkling that she wouldn't return to the house. The note was extremely close to Bella's writing but a little too crisp to be made by a human hand. He was right, she didn't get back to the house. I found her curled in a ball deep in the forest, almost catatonic," I seethed again.

"That can't be right, Es. He wouldn't do that to her," he said, defending Edward.

"There are a lot of things that I knew he was incapable of that I found out otherwise this evening," I said.

"So you were with Bella? Even though he asked you to stay away?" he asked.

"Did you not hear what I said? She was lost in the woods, in the dark. She thought that we had all abandoned her... And after she told me what he said... It's a wonder the poor girl is still in one piece," I seethed.

"Es. He wouldn't hurt her. He couldn't," he said.

"Bull!" I said. "He might think he has done it to help her but I held her in my arms and rocked her while she cried. I listened to her sob when she told me that he said she wasn't good enough for him. Carlisle, not only did he break her heart, but he played on her most basic insecurity. I shudder to think what would have happened if it had been left to Charlie Swan to take care of her."

"Es, she isn't ours. She is his," he said.

"You don't love her? You don't care for her? You don't feel for her what you feel for the others?" I asked.

"You know I do. I love her, but Edward is right. We can't take her humanity. She has a chance to have all the things that we don't. A husband and children, Es. You can't tell me that you wouldn't give up almost anything to have a child of your own. I know that you would. And it's too dangerous to have her in our world. James, Jasper... Who's next?" he said.

"And we give her no choice? If this was the inevitable end why didn't you stop this? Why let Bella be the innocent victim of Edward's sick science experiment?" I asked.

"You know it wasn't like that. You know he loves her. That he'll always love her," he said.

"That may be. But I want you to do something for me. You ask your son what he said to her. You ask him how he managed to convince her to let him go," I said. "Then you tell me he didn't have the ability to hurt her."

"Esme," he said, obviously not wanting to bring more grief to the situation for Edward.

"Then ask Alice how she didn't see the girl she called her best friend, curled in a ball and lying on the forest floor," I said.

"Es," he said again. "I won't. I will be there to help our children get past this. I will comfort them and try to make up for the fact that you aren't with us. I won't bring more pain on the family. I won't do that."

"You aren't the man I married Carlisle. Maybe this will be a permanent separation," I said, shocked that the words left my mouth, but unable to change them. I meant every one.

"You can't be choosing her over us," he stated incredulously.

"I am choosing me, Carlisle. Not her, not you, not the others. We always talked about the importance of family. I listened to you speak so passionately about her being one of us when James was after her. You were willing to risk any and all of us for her then but now she isn't worth causing Alice or Edward discomfort. I never believed you to be a man capable of turning off your emotions because Edward decided he didn't want her anymore. The man I knew, the man I loved had the most compassionate heart. He would never have allowed us to abandon one of our own. Biblically, he would have been the shepherd that left the ninety nine sheep to find the missing one. He wouldn't have allowed Bella to be left unprotected and heartbroken. You obviously aren't him anymore. And I need to deal with that and decide if I can spend the rest of my life with a heartless, soulless vampire instead of the compassionate, loving man I fell in love with. Goodbye for now," I said, ending the conversation. I had heard him trying to speak, but I couldn't listen to his excuses. I turned the phone ringer off. He knew where to find me if he wanted to talk.

I paced the house for a few minutes before opening the backdoor and running out and into the woods. I really needed to hunt now. Anger was one emotion that sapped my strength. I wasn't an angry person by nature and when I was it took a toll on my body.

I sprang through the forest searching for a nice close meal. After draining two deer, I ran by the Swan house on my way home. I could hear both her and Charlie's nice even breathing. I smiled to myself, glad at least that she could rest.

By the time I got home I decided to look at my phone. One hundred and twelve missed calls. Most were from Carlisle, but there were a few from Alice as well. I was still too mad at Carlisle to speak to him, but I decided I truly needed to speak to Alice.

"Thank God!" Alice said answering the phone before it had a chance to ring.

"Alice," I said in a frosty tone.

"How is she Esme?" she asked.

"If you really cared you never would have left," I replied.

"That's not fair and you know it. I didn't have a choice," she said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, angrily. "You always have a choice."

"I really didn't. I looked at all possibilities of staying. It would have been devastating no matter what. I had to go," she said sadly.

"And you couldn't even have said goodbye?" I asked her. "Left a note or made a call?"

"I couldn't have gone if I did," she said.

"And leaving Bella heartbroken and alone?" I asked. "How could you not have seen that outcome?"

"Because of you," she replied. "You were so adamant about being there for her. You will be the reason that she's okay."

"And Carlisle?" I asked. "Will we be okay?"

"I don't know," she replied, quietly. "I can't see anything. Decisions are being made and changed so quickly."

I took a deep unnecessary breath and blew it out. Was I really prepared for my relationship with Carlisle to be over? I thought about it for a few moments and before I could get too far, I knew I was right. I would not give up on Carlisle, but if he gave up on me, I wasn't going to fight him.

"You're good for Bella. She really needs you... Especially with what's to come," Alice said.

"What is it, Alice?" I asked her.

"I can't say... Just be there for her, Esme," she said sadly.

Could she be anymore cryptic?

"I won't fight you Alice. I know it won't do any good. I wish you all the best..." I started to say.

"Don't treat this as goodbye please," she said.

"It's too much, Alice. Too painful. I can't believe it has come to this. I just want to kick Edward's ass for what he said to her," I said.

"What did he say, Esme? I haven't seen it," she said.

"Ask him. Ask him what he said to make her let him go. I would love to call him and give him a piece of my mind, but I am nowhere near civil enough to try that now. She was an absolute mess and it isn't going to get any easier anytime soon," I said.

"You aren't a mind reader and you can't see the future," she said.

"I don't need either. I know what the close minded people of Forks are going to do to her," I said. "Even with me here, the rumors about our quick departure are going to trickle down and effect her. She will still be paying for being with us. Not to mention that between you and Edward, she had nobody else," I said.

"You're right," Alice said. "If kicking Edward's ass would help, you know I would."

"I know," I said. "Someone needs to knock some sense into him. Maybe I should call Emmett."

"It won't help. Emmett will enjoy it and Edward will just take it. He's in rough shape, Esme. I can't see him staying with us long. He's going to leave."

"Good. Maybe distance and solitude will knock some sense into him," I said.

"Don't bet on it," she said, sadly.

I sighed and shook my head sadly.

"Take care of everyone, Alice," I said. "Don't let Emmett get carried away and keep an eye out for Carlisle. We've never been apart..."

"I would beg you to come back to us, but I know it won't do any good. Please keep care of my sister," she said. "She's going to need it."

We hung up after that and my emotions were swirling around.

How could Edward willingly leave her? Especially with all the cruel things he said to her. I know he loved her and I didn't know how to make things better.

What was Alice talking about, with what was to come... I wish I knew. Damn Alice and her cryptic conversations.

Was this really the end for Carlisle and I? I couldn't allow myself to believe that, yet I knew if he were to give me an ultimatum, I know which way I'd lean. A real mother would never abandon her child. And Bella was my daughter in every way that mattered, especially in my heart.


	5. Chapter 5 Carlisle's POV

A/N: When I wrote this story, I swore I was only going to keep this in Esme's POV. What I didn't expect was the fact that Carlisle was going to need to have a say in the matter as well, that one side of this story was not enough. Writing from his POV was difficult under the emotionally charged situation but I was really glad to do so. Writing this had me in absolute tears. Yeah, I'm a sap who cries at her own writing. I hope you all enjoy this. Please review.

**Carlisle's POV**

How could she do this? How could she turn her back on me and our family? Did she not see that this was Edward's choice, his responsibility? And what did she expect to do... Make Edward change his mind? We had all tried that and it hadn't worked.

The only way this family had existed for as long as it had was because we all stood by each other's decisions.

When Rosalie messed up in Rochester. We moved, together.

When we wore out our welcome in Calgary. We moved, together.

After we met and changed Emmett. We moved, together.

When Emmett screwed up the first time. We moved, together.

When Emmett screwed up the eighth time. We moved, together.

Our first time in Forks. We worked through our issues with the shape shifters until our time in the area was up and we moved, together.

When Alice went a little too psychic hotline on the people of Sussex, England. We moved, together.

And Jasper... We moved, together.

Boredom, people getting suspicious, accidents... We stayed together.

And never once in all seventy four moves that we had done did we move for Edward. Not once did he ask us to go. Not once did he make us go. He sacrificed seventy four times for the others.

We were a unit. The largest of our kind to coexist. Was it our diet that made this possible? Maybe to some degree our diet reminded us of our human roots, maybe it just allowed us to interact with humans more... Whatever the cause we had formed a true family.

A family that Esme left.

I sat brooding in the den of our Alaska home. The place we always went when we first left. Our safe place, buried deep in the woods, far from any human contact.

Talking to Esme on the phone made it worse. How could she blame me and try to make me feel that I am the selfish one? She abandoned this family... And I didn't see a way to fix it.

My silent musings were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"What is it, Alice?" I asked, dejectedly.

"Jas and I need to speak with you," she said.

"You might as well come in," I said.

They entered, both walking slowly, the weight of Esme's departure weighing on them too.

Jasper plopped down on the couch like you would expect any normal teenager to do, pulling Alice down with him. I watched as they clung to each other, both seeming to use the other for support. I knew they were hurting.

"I miss her," Alice said softly.

"I know," I replied. "We've never been separated this long before."

"That's not who I was referring to," she replied.

"I beg your pardon?" I said.

"I miss Bella," she said.

Those words hung in the air like lead balloons.

"That's to be expected," I replied. Was I too cold and callous? Probably. But how could she speak of Bella when Esme, one of our own, was gone.

"Me too," Jasper said. "Even though this is all because of me."

"Of course it's not," Alice admonished her mate. "This is all on Edward."

"You can't say that. If it hadn't been for me, he would never have thought of it. If it hadn't been for me..." he stated, before I cut him off.

"Jasper! You feed off of emotions. Not only did you have to deal with your bloodlust and desire but you had to deal with everyone else's too. It was really inevitable," I said.

"But I should be stronger. I'm always the weakest link," he said, obviously extremely upset with himself.

"You have never been the weakest link," I said, conviction ringing in my voice. "With your gift, everything is harder. You don't just feel your bloodlust. You feel everyone else's too, and somehow you have learned not to project that. Jasper, had you projected that bloodlust that you took in that night, anyone of us, myself included would have drained her without a thought. You allowed yourself to be stopped. There was no way any one of us, or all of us combined, could have stopped you if you truly didn't want to be stopped. Edward over reacted like he always did when it came to Bella and yet when the aroma of her blood filled that room, you still allowed yourself to be led away. Jasper, you are stronger than all of us."

His eyes looked shocked. I don't think he ever considered that. Alice looked with pride up on her mate but it was only seconds before they paled again.

"I wonder who will remove Bella's stitches?" she said.

Bella. I didn't really allow myself to consider her in all this. I couldn't.

"There are tons of people who could do it," I said, brushing it off. "She's had so many she could probably do it herself by now."

A little cold? Perhaps. But what can I say, it's been a long day.

"When did you become that man?" Alice asked.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked.

"Cold, callous and completely disregarding the feelings of others," she said. "I have known you for decades and have never seen this side of you. I must say, it is very unattractive."

First Esme and now Alice. What is it with the women around me?

"What do you mean?" I asked, incensed.

"Carlisle, what did Bella do wrong that she deserved to be abandoned by us? Not just Edward but al of us?" she asked.

I was momentarily speechless, but quickly found my voice.

"She doesn't belong in our world," I said.

"Then why is it that no matter what I see only two possible outcomes for her? In the first, she is one of us, Edward's mate, your daughter, my sister. In the other she is dead, which sends Edward to the Volturi... We stop him. Then he goes to antagonize the wolves. Not only does he succeed in his death, no matter how many times we thwart his efforts, he also manages to destroy the treaty we have with the wolves, making Forks completely uninhabitable by us ever again, not that we stay together..." she said.

"Alice, you know as well as I do that your visions are subjective. Something could come along tomorrow and all that would change," I said, hiding the horror that I was feeling about the visions that she was sharing.

"Nice try, Carlisle," Jasper said, grimacing in my general direction.

Alice looked at me, her whole body language demonstrating her smug attitude.

"Tell me what is right then. Why did you follow if you knew it was wrong?" I asked.

"It would have completely destroyed us all if we didn't, once you had made up your mind to follow Edward... If we didn't follow you our family would have dissolved within weeks. This is the only way we have a chance," she said.

"All this for Isabella? How did she become so prominent in our lives that my wife would leave me? How did her presence change us so dramatically in under a year so that we can't exist without her?" I asked, frustrated that suddenly our future was tied to this girl.

A girl I still couldn't allow myself to think about.

"Love," Jasper said.

"What?" I asked, looking at him.

"The girl was never afraid of us, not even when I tried to attack her. Even when Edward pushed her into that table, and she sat bleeding in a room full of vampires, she radiated nothing but love mixed with pain and understanding and worst of all forgiveness. Among the pain of her injury was another pain. Even then she knew we'd be hurt because of this and that caused her concern. Forgiveness radiated from her... Love, acceptance, and kindness too, but Carlisle, forgiveness. As she lay bleeding on the floor, she forgave me for what I'd done and though she knew that her life was probably seconds from over, she never would have blamed any one of us for doing it. She loved us all with all she was. Maybe you don't understand, maybe you don't see, Carlisle, but a human's capacity to love is limited, unlike ours. I think that is what Edward is counting on. He was used to seeing the fickle love of the hordes of teenagers that we have spent our days with. Half the male population of the school was convinced they loved Bella on her first day... And the girl, don't get me started on what they thought or felt about us, especially Edward. Yet, Isabella was different. The love she felt for him rivaled that of any vampire I've ever come across. And not just Edward, for crying out loud, Rosalie, who never treated her with anymore than disdain. Bella still loved and cared for her, and hoped. She hoped that maybe this was the day that Rose would stop hating her. Then there is Emmett and Alice... Siblings, best friends, heroes but deeper still, unconditional love. And you and Esme, the love and admiration she felt for you was way stronger than anything she felt for Charlie or Renee... She looked up to you as a father and protector. Esme was the mother she wanted, she needed..." he paused, overcome with emotion and Alice rubbed his back, soothing him.

I couldn't speak. What could I say? I honestly felt as though I could throw up.

"She never felt acceptance from anyone. She was different from her peers. Too grown up, unwilling and unable to play their petty games. Too different that her parents, responsible, unlike her flighty mother, and giving, unlike Charlie who was too oblivious of the world around him. She didn't know she was too good for them, didn't see her beauty, both physical and internal. She was always on the outside looking in and yet she fit into a coven full of vampires like she was made for us. All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not in Esme's shoes right now. I don't think I would survive the level of despair she must be feeling," he said. "Abandoned by those who should have loved her and protected her. Rejected by us all. All I can say is thank God, Esme had enough courage to stand up to us all to protect her. Nobody else ever did."

I sat at my desk, my eyes wide in horror. I replayed the last few days in my head, looking at all the mistakes I made. This was my fault. I let my insecurities control me. I allowed Edward to make this mistake, never once questioning if what he was doing was right. How had I let this happen? How had I become someone my own wife didn't know? How could I be someone who disregarded Bella's feelings? How did I become a soulless monster?

And more importantly, how do I fix this? Not only with Bella, but with my wife too. I dialed Esme, hoping she would pick up. I needed to make this right. Never had Esme felt so passionately about anything. Never had she given us cause to leave anywhere either, and I took her for granted. I took Edward's side refusing to even listen to my own wife. Refusing to acknowledge her feelings. I concentrated on all that I had done and all the choices Esme had made. What I was choosing to see was her abandonment... What I neglected to see was our abandonment of a daughter, a mate, a sister and a friend.

When the phone went to voicemail the eighth time, I knew she wasn't going to answer. And who could blame her. She made the ultimate sacrifice for the well being of her daughter. She made a choice, a mother's choice... And now I needed to fix this situation, with Esme, with Edward and most of all with Bella.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Just remember that Esme has no clue what happened last chapter. She was determined to avoid all contact with Carlisle and the family, vowing that they knew where to find her if they chose. Carlisle is desperate to talk to her, but knows that he needs to set Edward straight in order to make this all right. And what was Alice talking about to Esme - that Bella would need her.....

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I watched from across the street as Charlie left for work early the next morning. The sun hadn't even risen and I got the feeling he was leaving before he had to face any possible emotional outburst from Bella.

Bella's breathing was deep and even still as I snuck around to the back of the house and let myself in the back door. I set about tidying the small house quickly. It was already mostly clean, I'm sure with no thanks to Charlie. I decided not to wake Bella and sat down on the couch contemplating Carlisle reaction to the situation. I couldn't believe that we may be over because of this. I don't know how long I was lost in thought but the ringing of the telephone brought me out of my stupor.

"Hello," I answered.

"Hello," the female voice said. "Is Charles Swan there please?"

"I'm sorry he's not," I replied, listening to the voice that sounded very familiar. "May I take a message?"

"No," she said curtly. "I'm sure I can track him down."

I wondered briefly where I had heard the voice before, the grocery store, the hospital... I was broken out of my musings by a shriek from Bella's room and I dashed up the stairs. I was through the door and had Bella in my arms before she could even finish her scream.

"Oh Esme," she sobbed in my arms. "He really left, didn't he?"

"Oh, Sweetheart," I said, soothing her. "I'm here."

She simply sobbed in my arms for the better part of the next half an hour while I rubbed her back softly. I didn't try to stop her tears, in fact, I would have joined her if I could. Eventually her sobs turned into heaving breaths as she tried to calm herself.

"I just don't understand," her broken voice said softly. "I thought he loved me."

"He does love you, Sweetheart. He is doing the only thing he knows how to do in order to protect you. I will guarantee he is completely miserable without you," I said, soothing her.

"No. He told me he'd find distractions," she said.

"Isabella," I said. "Let me ask you something. Is there anything that would distract you from the way you're feeling right now?"

"No. I love him so much. I just don't understand. It would kill me to leave him," she said.

"It is the same for him. He was only able to do it because he is convinced that it is what is best for you," I said.

"It isn't what's best. I love him. I want him forever," she said.

"I know Sweetheart," I said.

We stayed like that for another twenty minutes until her breathing returned to normal. We made our way downstairs and I started to look around the kitchen so I could fix her something to eat.

"I can do it," she said.

"I wish I could. I am completely lost in here," I told her.

"I don't want anything fancy anyways," she said.

She grabbed two pieces of bread from the bag on the counter and put them in the toaster. Once they popped she spread some butter on the toast and stuck it on a plate. That didn't look very healthy, so I went to the fridge and grabbed out some orange juice, before I poured some into a glass and set it in front of her.

She smiled up and me and obediently took a sip.

"What shall we do today?" I asked her.

"Why did you stay?" she asked.

"Because I couldn't leave you behind," I answered simply.

"But everyone else could?" she asked.

"I guess so. But they certainly didn't all want to go. Alice is devastated. She misses you so much but she's working with more information than the rest of us. She saw that if she stayed our entire family would be completely destroyed," I said.

"Carlisle?" she asked.

"Went willingly," I said, but I guess my tone was clipped.

"Oh, Esme. Is he mad that you stayed? You should go to him. You guys have been married so long. I don't want to cause problems... Please!" she said starting to cry.

"You listen to me Isabella Marie Swan! I have never, and I mean never, disagreed with my husband. But this time he is wrong. He has major issues with the fact that I stayed, and to be perfectly honest with you, because I won't be anything less, our marriage might not survive. But that is not your fault. Carlisle is blindly doing what Edward has asked, and Edward acted out of fear. Now I know you don't blame anyone for this," I said pointing to her arm. "But it brought up a lot of fears for Edward. He thought we were wrong to keep you from leading a normal human life. And some of the points he brought up were valid. Carlisle saw that and went with it, refusing to see how you would feel in this. I have never been more disappointed in him."

"What points?" she asked.

"Children. Rosalie would give anything for that ability... And that is why she seems to hate you. You have everything that she wants, humanity, the promise of a future," I said.

"But I don't," I said.

"I have been around vampires so much, I thought someone would have noticed or asked. I guess it isn't something you all have to think about. But has nobody ever noticed that I don't have a time of the month? We were in a car accident when I was eleven. I lost that ability before I even got here, and I am perfectly okay with that," she said.

"Did you two never talk about this?" I asked, stunned by her revelations.

"No. We talked about all sorts of things but it never came up. As far as I was concerned it was just another scar. Not like Edward got near enough to see it," she said lifting her shirt and pulling down the waistband of her bottoms slightly, showing a small faded white scar across her lower abdomen. "It isn't something that I think about on a general basis. Since he never mentioned any concerns, I didn't even think it would be an issue. So don't look at me to be popping out any mutant vampire human hybrid babies."

"Mutant vampire human hybrid babies?" I said with a chuckle.

Where does this girl come up with these things.

"Isn't going to ever happen. Especially since something other than kissing would have to happen first!" she said.

Angry Bella. This was good. I preferred it to sad Bella. I think...

"Bella," I began. I wanted to apologize.

"You know what, just don't," she said angrily. "All this has happened because he ASSUMED things without talking about them. And you know what happens when you assume."

"Ummm," I said.

"Never heard this one?" she asked, looking at me.

I shook my head no.

"You make an ASS out of U and ME," she said with a smirk.

I giggled. It really is quite funny... And very true.

She laughed with me for a bit and then cleaned up her dishes, refusing my offer to help.

"I need to do something new. If I sit around, I'm just going to cry all day. And I don't want to," she said.

"We could go shopping," I suggested.

"In Seattle? I could really use some new books and none of the book stores around here are very good," she said.

"Sounds like a plan," I said.

"I'll call Charlie and let him know. I'll be ready to go in about thirty minutes," she said, a real smile lighting up her face.

"I'll go home and get my car," I said. "Will you be okay without me for a bit?"

"Yup," she said.

I dashed out the back door and ran home. I ignored all telephones and made my way to the study where I grabbed some of the emergency cash and my new credit cards. I was going to do this right.

I decided that I would not take her shopping like Alice does, choosing things for her. She would buy what she wanted, not what I wanted for her.

I was back in front of the Swan house in twenty five minutes. Bella came out the door with a small overnight bag in her hand as soon as she saw my car. Her hair was pulled back and she was wearing a pair of jeans and a tight fitting black t-shirt. Her coat was over her arm. She locked the door and hurried down the steps to the car.

"I don't think I've seen this car before," she said as she got in.

"I rarely drive it," I said of my Mercedes CL65 AMG Coupe. It was deep blue metallic with darkened windows. "What's with the bag?"

"Charlie is working late tonight. Something happened in Port Angeles and they needed everyone in. He told me he didn't want me home alone so when I told him we were going to Seattle, he suggested we spend the night," she said, looking rather sheepish.

"That's fine, Honey," I told her.

We made our way to Seattle, chatting about anything and everything. She was so intelligent that I found her easy to talk to and her human perspective was most intriguing.

When we reached Seattle I took her to the Elliot Bay Book Company. A giant bookstore located near Pike Place. Her eyes pretty much rolled back in her head and she squealed with delight as we made our way through the front door. There were books floor to ceiling as far as the eye could see and I could hear her pulse race in excitement as she looked around.

"Go to it," I smiled. "Retail therapy is all on me."

"You don't need...." she started to argue.

"Bella. There are very few things that bring me joy in life. This is one of them. You have put up with Alice's shopping trips, which are daunting to say the least and endless sessions of Bella Barbie. I would like to take you shopping my way. Which means you choose what you like and I pay for it. And if you think you are going to scrimp and save, forget about it. I want you to have what you want and what will make you happy. If that means we fill the back of my car with so many books that we have to have them shipped back to Forks, then that's what we'll do. Honestly, we could buy Seattle with the money we have in various accounts around the world, so don't think about it. Just enjoy," I said.

"Let's get to it," she said, catching me by surprise.

"I don't get an argument?" I asked.

"Do you want one?" she asked.

"No," I answered.

"Would I have a hope of winning if I did argue?" she asked.

"No, but..." I answered.

"So, let's just get it done," she said.

I watched in surprise as she walked away from me, deeper into the book store. I smiled and shook my head and followed after her. We spent the next couple of hours there, scouring every section of the store. She was in her own world and I loved watching her there. I took my digital camera out of my purse and managed to capture a few candid shots of her. No matter how many times Alice dressed her up, spending hours on hair and makeup, she was most beautiful here, in her own element, comfortable in her own skin.

I wasn't far off when I said we could fill the whole back with books. We very nearly did. I laughed as the clerk struggled to get the two heavy boxes out to the car, making sure that there was 'a strong man' on the other end to help us unload. He didn't know that I could do it on my own without an issue.

He did manage to gawk at the car and pocket the twenty dollar tip I gave him for his help. We went from there to get an early dinner before finding a hotel for the night.

Her sleep wasn't peaceful this night, between the tossing and turning, the sleep talking and the nightmares, I knew the poor girl would be exhausted the next day. Mumbled words, remembering every last thing that Edward had said when he left. Every word that tore at her soul.

I listened, heartbroken for my daughter and getting angrier at my son. He left because he didn't want to destroy her soul, but that's exactly what he had done in leaving her. He tore away at the very essence of her.

"I'm sorry. I know I don't deserve you," she cried just as the sun first began to rise.

Damn what had that boy done to her.

"Don't leave me alone. Please Esme!" she said.

Her plaintiff cries for me broke my heart. I was at her side in an instant.

"Shhh, Bella," I soothed my daughter. "It's okay. I'm here. I am not going anywhere. I will never leave you."

I pulled her so that her head was on my lap and I ran my hands through her tangled hair. He had destroyed her so much that she didn't even think she deserved me. That boy and my foot had an appointment when I next saw him. If I next saw him.

She seemed to calm down after that so I sat there, holding her on my lap until quite late in the morning. I was happy that my touch seemed to bring her out of her nightmares, but the silence made mine increase.

I was happy with my daughter but I missed the rest of the family. I vowed then that I would do whatever it took to bring them all back together again, even if that meant changing Bella myself.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I will be updating Mondays!

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When Bella finally awoke for the day, she seemed quite rested, but her eyes looked haunted.

"What are we going to do today, Bella?" I asked her.

She didn't answer for a few minutes, seeming uncertain of what to say. I was about to talk again when she started.

"I need a change. I can't just be plain old Bella anymore... I need something," she said, her eyes pleading with me to agree.

"Whatever you need," I said, confirming it with her.

"Let me get dressed and we'll be on our way," she said.

I questioned myself as to how far I would let her go. I questioned how far she would want to go.

Within twenty minutes we were in the car. She had grabbed a muffin and orange juice from the continental breakfast bar downstairs before we left, insisting she didn't want to waste any time eating somewhere before we got to the good stuff.

Our first stop was the mall, hitting a couple of trendy teen boutiques. These places were Alice's idea of heaven and I knew that whenever she had tried to pull Bella into these places, Bella had raised a huge stink. Now here she was, pulling me in.

The clothes she looked at were not the demure, understated things that she had always chosen before, in fact, they are the exact type of things Alice would have chosen had she ever been allowed free reign with Bella's wardrobe. Bella chose ultra low rise skinny jeans that looked like they had been painted on, and tight cleavage enhancing tops that were short enough to show bits of skin around her middle and cut deep enough to show the fabric of her white cotton bra.

After loading eleven bags into the car, we returned to the mall and she basically dragged me into Victoria's Secret. The thinks she chose here would have made Alice' jump up and down, clapping her hands together with pride.

I hoped that she would go with it for a few days and return to who she truly was. Her next two stops made me wonder.

The first was to Sephora, where she allowed the girl to do her make-up. When she was done, her lovely skin was covered in make-up. She looked different, her pure peaches and cream innocence was covered and her new style was a lot more daring. I didn't dare comment until Bella herself had passed judgement on the look.

"Wow, I hardly recognize myself," she said. "The kids at school are going to flip!"

I didn't do much more than smile as I handed over my credit card. Bella looked at the total as I signed the slip and I saw her face blanche. The old Bella was still there, and if this is what it took to bring her back, I would spend it a million times over.

She didn't hesitate and our next stop was a salon. She looked through the books of styles, obviously wanting a drastic change. I tried in vain to change her mind but she would not be dissuaded, so I enlisted the help of a stylist, Jeorge.

The flamboyant man was at Bella's side in an instant, insisting that the length was perfect but a few highlights, lowlights and some layers would be perfect and singing the praises of a flat iron. I breathed a sigh of relief as she agreed, knowing that it was nothing that couldn't be undone easily.

Leaving the salon with Bella was a new experience. The girl next door look was gone, replaced by a little fashion vixen that had all the boys drooling. The next stop was the one that finally got me to say enough is enough.

"Bella, you are not getting a tattoo," I said.

"Yes, I am," she said, just as firmly.

"Bella," I said again, in warning.

"Mom," she said. "I have wanted a tattoo for as long as I can remember, and I promise it is nothing bad. I simply want a Shakespeare quote on my back."

I took a deep breath and shook my head. Shakespeare... Likely she would choose "to thine own self be true" and I couldn't find it in myself to disagree, nor could I find it in myself to actually enter the place. I may be perfect in my composure, but the smell of her blood at her birthday party was overwhelming for me.

So I dropped her off with money for the tattoo. Edward was going to kick my ass if he saw this. Edward!

With my free time, I made my way to a cell phone store, ordering an iPhone for both Bella and I on a completely separate plan than the family. I would be sure she always had a way to contact me.

When I returned to the shop, Bella was shaking the artist's hand. When she got out of the shop she smiled softly at me. The look in her eyes more like the Bella I have known and loved for months.

"Hi," she said softly, biting her lip in trepidation.

"So how was it?" I asked.

"It hurt more than I expected, but I like it a lot more than I expected to," she said.

"You liked the pain?" I asked.

"No," she said. "The finished product."

"Ahhh," I said. "Are you going to tell me what you got?"

"A quote... From Romeo and Juliet," she said.

Since the quote I assumed she would get was from Hamlet, I found myself thinking through the play to see what she would have chose.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun?" I asked thinking of any famous quote I could from the play.

"Nope," she said, sitting back contemplatively as I headed back towards Forks.

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" I asked

"Nope," she said again.

"Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love?" I asked again.

"Still no," she said.

"Okay I give up," I said, unable to guess what she would have chosen.

"So dear I love him that with him, all deaths I could endure. Without him, live no life," she said.

"Oh, Bella," I said completely horrified, desiring to kick his ass even more now. My poor girl was so broken. I might just have to get over myself and

"I love him with all that I am, Mom. I can't live without him. If he doesn't want me... I just can't go on," she said.

"Bella," I said, my heart breaking for her.

"It's okay," she said quickly. "I don't plan to do anything stupid. I will go on. I will live, but not really. He is my everything...."

"Bella, he loves you. He messed up but he does. I just keep praying that he will get his shit together," I finished, almost muttering the last phrase to myself.

"If he loved me he'd never have left," she said sullenly.

"Oh Honey," I said. How could I explain to her, how could I make her see?

She was silent for a little while before she reached into the back seat for a book. The rest of the drive was silent, other than her occasional mutterings while she read. It was cute and I don't think she even realized she was doing it. It was after four when we pulled into Charlie's driveway. His car was gone and the lights were off, giving the house a foreboding feeling in the dim light of the cloudy day. Bella didn't seem phased, grabbing a few bags from the trunk and making her way in. She was phased however by the fact that her house key was missing from it's usual spot above the eave.

"Bella," I said, as she tried the door, finding it unlocked. "Stay here. Something is not right."

Bella stepped back, away from the door as I opened up my senses to find out what was going on.

I stepped into the living room and was greeted with a dark pair of red eyes.

"You haven't gone?" he asked in a confused voice. "I heard that all the Cullens had left town."

"What are you doing in my daughter's house?" I asked Laurent as he moved closer to me. "Last I heard you were in Denali, giving the vegetarian lifestyle a chance."

"Well, yes, Irina was a nice distraction for a little while, but the diet is not for me. It's like drinking toilet water when you are used to the taste of champagne," Laurent said.

"That doesn't answer the question as to what you are doing at my daughter's house," I said.

"I tried to visit your family at your house as I was passing through. When I saw that nobody was there, I followed your scent here. I was just... Curious as to how your human daughter lives with so little when you obviously have so much," he said.

"My daughter likes the simple things in life. If she chose to live elsewhere we would make it happen. That is what family does," I said.

"And does family get up and leave town, leaving their two most vulnerable members alone? Is that how your family works?" he asked, running his finger along my jaw.

"What makes you think they are gone?" I asked.

"Your possessions, are mostly gone. Anything personal has been taken. You forget that I have been in your home before," he said.

"No. Mostly I am angry that you would enter my home uninvited," I said.

"It's a shame he left such a pretty little thing," he said, motioning towards Bella. "Her blood calls out just as strongly as her innocence. It would be a shame for her to lose either."

"Is that a threat, Laurent?" I asked.

"Why should I do such a thing?" he asked.

"I am not certain," I replied. "I just know that you are not welcome in this home and I wish for you to leave my daughter and my family in peace."

"Oh," he said. "I see. I suppose I should give this to you, as it doesn't truly belong to me. It seems that your mate is rather desperate to get ahold of you. I hope that there isn't trouble in paradise."

"Not that it is any of your concern," I replied. "Bella and I are just closing things down here before we join the family. Yes we had a slight tiff as Bella is a little reluctant to leave her friends and family here, but we have worked it out and will be together soon."

"Then I look forward to seeing you in Alaska, when I next spend time with Irina. I am sorry to have intruded in your daughter's home," he said.

Before I could say another word he ran out the back door. I turned to grab Isabella and get her into the house. This was one person that I disagreed with Carlisle on. No matter what he said I did not trust Laurent, nor Victoria for that matter.

As Bella and I reached the front door, Laurent was next to her, having come from the back.

"Isabella, you smell as delectable as always," he said. "Fresh blood is a very welcoming scent coming from you."

With that he was gone and I pulled Bella into the house. She was trembling so hard her teeth chattered together.

"Shh," I soothed my daughter. "He's gone."

After she calmed down she set about preparing some dinner for her and Charlie. I unloaded the rest of her new things from the car and brought them into the house, scanning outside for any sign of Laurent, or God forbid, Victoria.

Bella had dinner ready to serve by six, yet Charlie did not return to the house, as she expected. She ate herself, deciding that she would give him a little time before she called the station.

"Maybe he expected us to be gone longer," she said.

This seemed unlikely but I had no inkling where he would be. After she ate and cleaned up, putting the leftovers in a container for Charlie, she dialed the station, reaching Deputy Mark.

"Hi Mark," she said. "It's Bella Swan, is Charlie there?"

"Nope," he said, laughing. "He's went out on a hot date last night and told us not to expect him in today."

"What?" Bella asked, looking at me, horrified.

"Yeah!" Mark continued. "Beautiful lady. Slim, pale as can be and long red hair. Major stunner. The chief was hooked as soon as he pulled her over. She obviously was too, sat here and waited for him to finish up last night."

Bella stood silently, her whole body quaking. She knew what was happening as well as I did, and it wasn't good.

Victoria had Charlie.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Enjoy!! I don't own the characters I just like to play with them!

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Bella thanked Mark. How she managed to keep her composure, I'll never know. She said goodbye and hung the phone back up in it's cradle on the wall, but didn't remove her hand.

"They're here for me," she said.

"I think so," I replied.

"Turn me," she said.

"Bella..." I started.

"Mom... I have thought about this since I first knew what you guys were. It isn't a spur of the moment thing. I am surrounded by the supernatural and I refuse to be a helpless victim anymore. I know all Edward's arguments. I know what I am giving up. I am not doing this because I am scared..." she said, without a hint of fear in her voice.

"We'll call the family. Once we are all together then..."

"No," she replied. "If he comes back, and I mean IF, he'll have some other excuse why I shouldn't be changed. It isn't his decision. There is nothing in this life for me."

"Bella. I've never...." I started to say.

"Never what? Never wanted me to be a vampire?" she asked, obviously hurt.

"No. I've never bitten a human. I don't know how...." I said.

"I trust you," she said. "Please. Change me and then call the family."

"We have a treaty with the wolves," I said, trying to think clearly. "If there are any wolves, it will be an all out war."

"Wolves... You mean that part of Jacob's story was true too? For crying out loud! Bring on the zombies, fairies and unicorns!" Bella exclaimed.

"You've been to LaPush, Bella. Is there anyone there who you think....?" I started to ask.

"Let me call Billy Black. He knows about this stuff," she said.

I nodded my head in agreement and she picked up the phone and dialed the Black's number.

"Hey Charlie," I heard the man on the other end of the phone answer. Call display is such a helpful tool.

"Billy," Bella said. "It's Bella. Look I need you to be honest with me about some things. I will do the same in return."

"Well, hello to you too,Bella," he said.

"Look Billy. I really don't have time for pleasantries. How many wolves are there in LaPush now?" she asked. Way to get to the point, Bella.

"I beg your pardon?" he scoffed.

"Don't mess with me Billy. This is not the time. Charlie..." she started to say before being cut off.

"Look, we know the Cullens are gone so why are you asking?" he said, rudely I might add.

"Listen and you'll find out. Not all of the Cullens are gone. Esme is still here. She is with me right now," Bella said.

"Then I have nothing to say to you," he said. "Tell Charlie...."

"There are two nomadic vampires in town," Bella said, interrupting whatever he was about to say.

"What?" he said.

"Human drinkers," Bella said again.

"How do you know this?" he asked.

"When Esme and I returned from Seattle, there was one in my house," she replied.

"Where is Charlie?" he asked.

"He left the station last night with the female vampire, willingly apparently, and hasn't been heard from since," she replied.

"What the hell?" Billy roared.

"Now answer my question. How many wolves?" she said.

He was so silent that I wasn't certain he was still there.

"There are three. Sam, Paul and Jared," he said with a sigh.

"Esme and I are on our way to the Cullen place. Please have them meet us there," she said. "We have a lot to discuss."

I hadn't seen this side of Bella before. She was taking charge, kicking ass and taking names.

"Maybe they're gone now," Billy said, and I could hear the tears in his voice. "They've had their meal, maybe...."

"They didn't just go after Charlie as a snack. I have met these two before, Victoria and Laurent. They were with a third one named James. He was a tracker and he came after me, that's why I ran to Phoenix in the spring.... The Cullens took him down. Laurent turned away from James, giving the Cullens some advice to help them fight him. Victoria was here as James followed me to Phoenix. The Cullens took James out after he attacked me. The woman, Victoria, simply vanished and we never heard a thing from her," she said.

I was so astounded at her composure.

"So why do you think they are after you?" he asked.

"I don't think. I know," she replied.

"So what do you intend to do?" he asked.

"I don't know entirely," she replied. "But I will tell you what I don't intend to do. I will not just sit around and wait for them to grab me. I will make damn sure that I stand a chance. I may be a Swan, but I won't be a sitting duck."

"You don't know what you're saying," he argued.

"You're wrong. Dead wrong. I know exactly what I'm saying. Tell the wolves to be there. We need to discuss a change to the treaty," she said.

"You can't want to be a monster!" he said and I could hear the frustration in his voice.

"If the Cullens are your version of monsters then, yes, I do. They help people around them, not hurt. I will not be a spectator, waiting around for my death," she said.

"Come here, to the res," he said. "We can protect you."

"And bring two lethal vampires to your doorstep?" she asked. "I don't think so."

"The boys are strong," he said, almost defiantly.

"And these vamps are cunning. They managed to get past a mind reader and a psychic," she said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She looked at me, worried momentarily that she had given too much away. I just nodded my head, letting her know that she could continue.

"Edward is a mind reader and Alice sees the future. Neither of them had any clue that these vampires would come for me. If they did they never would have left," she said, although she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Billy.

"So that isn't just a myth," he said.

"No," she replied. "Billy, I don't want anyone else in danger because of me. I can't knowingly bring vampires to your doorstep and risk you, Jake and everyone else on the res.... Not when I can do something about it," she said, almost pleading with him.

"But doing something still means you're dead," he said.

"No," she said. "It means that I can exist. It's what I have wanted since I met the Cullens and learned what they are and how they exist. They are good, Billy. Good to the very core, fighting against their very nature and doing what they can to give back to humanity. Please Billy, it's what I want. I don't have Charlie anymore... Unless... If he is still alive he'll know that vampires exist then I can still see him eventually... When I'm good too."

"Do it," he said.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked, shocked. I don't think that she expected him to agree, but she recovered quickly.

"Mother vamp is with you?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, calmly. "Esme is here with me."

"Let me talk to her, Isabella," he said. "I'm the Chief of my people and I demand it!"

She rolled her eyes at the tone that Billy Black had taken with her. I smiled slightly and then I held out my hand for the phone, which she handed me willingly. I looked at her, still waiting for her to go into shock, to scream, to cry... Anything. All I saw was determination and anger.

"Hello Chief Black," I said.

"Cut the polite bull shit," he said gruffly. "Can you change her?"

"Yes," I replied, certain for the first time that I could.

"Will you protect her? Make sure she doesn't attack any humans?" he asked.

"I will," I said.

"You will be her mother for all intents and purposes, look out for her the way Charlie would want," he said, emotions flooding his voice.

"I already see her as one of my children," I answered honestly. "I will protect her with my life. My whole family will."

I watched Bella seethe at the mention of the family.

"Then do it. I won't let her be defenseless, but I can't put the whole tribe at risk to save her. Our boys have never fought a vampire before, they have great instincts, traditional knowledge and a lot of training, but no experience. I have to do what's best for my boys and for our people. If the fight were brought here, there is too much to lose... I couldn't bear it," he said. "Just make sure you help us take out these two before you guys leave."

"I promise," I vowed. "So I can change her, and it will not affect our treaty?"

"It will not affect the treaty," he said.

"I just need to figure out when. The family is far away at the moment and Bella and I will both be vulnerable during her transformation," I mused.

"I will send our wolves to your place to help protect you. They will have a better chance if the fight is not here with their friends and family. When can your family return?" he asked.

"Two days," I replied, hoping I was right. "Maybe a little more, maybe a little less."

"And how long will her... How long will it take?" he said, asking about Bella's conversion.

"Three days," I replied.

"Our boys will protect you until it's done or until your family returns, whatever comes first," he said.

"Thank you, Chief," I said.

"Make sure nothing happens to that girl. Her daddy loved her with all that he was and would never have forgiven me if I didn't do everything in my power to protect her," he said.

"Thank you," I sighed.

"The boys will come by Charlie's house and make it look like foul play, then they'll be there to protect you. Make sure your family is seen either at the airport when they return or at the border. As much as I dislike you all, I can see that hurting you will hurt Bella. We'll frame her death, create utter chaos in the house," he said. "Then we'll burn the house to the ground."

"Thank you," I answered.

"Make sure that you are seen in town without her, before you return to your house. I don't want you blamed for this," he said.

"I will. Thank you, Chief," I said.

He hung up the phone before I could say anymore.

"Bella," I said, turning to my daughter.

"Mom?" she asked.

"You have two minutes to get what you can from the house. You can't ever return," I told her.

I expected her to be shocked. I expected her to protest or to have some emotional reaction. She just nodded her head and dashed up the stairs. She went into Charlie's room first, opening his top dresser drawer and removing a small box, before going to her room and grabbing a few pictures and trinkets, shoving it all into a small suitcase.

"I only wish I had my things from Edward," she said, probably just to herself.

"He didn't have them at the house," I said, knowing that he didn't even have his car at her place that day and that there were no possessions on him when he ran home. I figured it would be just like him to leave all her things nearby, but not easily found. Now where would they be?

"He told me it would be as though he never existed and took every memento I had," she said softly.

I smelled around her room, looking for the last traces of his scent as she moved around, collecting what she wanted. His scent was in all the typical places that I would expect, the bed, the rocking chair, her desk chair and by the window. Everything was as it should be, except for a particularly concentrated spot at the end of her bed. I moved over to it and ran my hand along the floorboard. I could feel it shift sightly beneath my fingers, so I pried it up gently. Sure enough, there was the CD he had made her, some pictures and a few other things were in the hollowed out space and I quickly pulled them out and handed them to her.

"You were right," she said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He does still love me," she said.

Knowing that he left everything there was the final piece that Bella needed to prove that he did still love her. I could see it in her eyes. I can't say that the feeling was extremely helpful as her emotions flowed across her face. Her first reaction was love, the second was anger. I gave her a quick hug.

"Do you have everything you want?" I asked her, looking at the small bag she had packed.

"Yup," she said as she gave a last visual scan of the room.

We walked down the stairs together and I thought about the fact that this was the last time she would do this. She stopped at the cupboard at the bottom of the stairs and opened it up. All Charlie's fishing gear was in here. She looked at the contents momentarily before she puled a button off the fisherman's vest and held it in her hand. I just barely caught what it said. World's Best Daddy.

The lump in my throat was almost impossible to contain and I silently wished for the ability to cry. I decided that I needed to be as strong as she was and so I explained the rest of what Billy told me. She nodded her understanding and soon I found us both standing at the front door.

"Thank you Esme," she said loudly, gaining the attention of the neighbor across the street who was just getting home.

"No problem, Dear. Are you sure you're okay?" I asked her, my own voice raised slightly.

"I'll be fine. Charlie should be home soon," she said, her voice breaking just a little bit.

I gave her a hug. How could I not?

"Goodbye," I said as I started to make my way down the stairs. "I hope I can see you again before I'm gone, but if not, you take care of yourself."

She looked almost panicked by my statement before she took a deep breath and smiled slightly.

"I hope we get that chance," she said with a soft smile. She waved and then turned around and entered the house. I slowly made my way to the car, noticing the neighbor unloading his groceries. I waved before I got in. He returned it.

As he went into the house with his groceries, Bella made her way to the backdoor of my car and got in stealthily. I started the engine and made sure Bella wasn't visible in the back seat. I waited for the neighbor to come out of his house again for the next bag of groceries before I backed out. I waved again and drove off down the street.

"Step one," Bella said quietly from the backseat.

I stopped at the gas station in town to fill up my gas tank. It was nearly full but it seemed as good a spot as any to stop. The service attendant Ernie came over to the car.

"Good evening, Mrs. Cullen," he said to me.

"Hey, Ernie," I said to the older man. "How are you tonight?"

"I'm great Mrs. C," he said. "I hear you and the doc and all those kids of yours are

leaving town."

"Yes, we are," I said, thanking God for letting this man play right into my hand. "Actually, Carlisle and the kids are already gone. I just stayed behind to wrap up things with the house and get it on the market."

"You need a fill up?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied. "I can do that. What I really need is for you to check the fluid levels for me."

"No problem, Mrs. C," he said.

I activated the hood release and he was quickly under the hood with his rag. I'm sure that even I knew more about cars and fluid levels than he did but it was a good excuse to keep him away from the side windows. I doubted he would be able to see inside the darkened windows, but it wasn't worth the chance.

"Wasn't your youngest boy seeing the chief's daughter?" he asked as he pulled out the oil dipstick.

"Yes. Apparently, they have decided that a long distance relationship wouldn't work. Unfortunate because I just adore Bella. Such a great girl," I said.

"Yup," he replied. "The chief's flighty wife did a good job with her. So respectful and just downright good. Pretty little thing too."

"That she is," I agreed, knowing she was listening.

"Have you seen her lately? How's she handling the break up?" he asked.

"I actually just left the Swan house. Bella is obviously upset but give her some time and hopefully she'll get over it," I said.

"You know teenagers," he said. "They have a new love every week."

"I hope so," I said. "She seemed okay when I left, just waiting for Charlie to get home."

"Ahhh Chief Swan," he said nodding his head. "If you listen to gossip, it seems he met a new lady. Kathy Mallory saw them driving towards Port Angeles last night. She said the woman was a beautiful red head in a hot car. Looks like the chief finally got lucky!"

"So it would seem," I said, not wanting to even think about how unlucky the chief really was.

"You're good," he said closing the hood. I followed him inside to pay for my gas, making sure to use my credit card.

"I wish you and the Doc the best. Keep those teenagers in line," he said handing me my receipt to sign.

"I will," I said. "Thanks, Ernie, it was a pleasure getting to know you."

"You too, Mrs. C. Don't be a stranger. Come back here anytime," he said.

I hopped back into the car and made my way towards the house.

"You okay?" I asked Bella, wondering if she was having second thoughts.

"No cold feet if that's what you're asking," she answered from her spot in the backseat. "I'm just a little worried about what people in town are going to think."

"I know, Sweetheart," I said. "It's all so different from my change."

"Tell me about it," she said.

"My change?" I asked, knowing that it was exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Yes, please," she replied.

"It isn't pretty, but here goes," I said, bringing up my last human memories. "I guess it all started when I was twenty one, I hadn't yet married, and for those times, I was considered an old maid. It wasn't that I didn't want to get married, but I wanted to marry for love not for prospects."

"Prospects?" she asked.

"A good marriage meant added wealth for my family, a better social standing," I explained.

"Uggg!" she said and I smiled, agreeing with her silently.

"Finally my mother and father had enough of my pickiness and decided that since I hadn't chosen anyone, that I would marry a man of their choosing. They chose a man who was eighteen years older than me. He was very wealthy and had made a good name for himself in the business community. Martin Anderson was his name," I told her, hating even saying his name.

She grimaced, sensing that I had an extreme dislike for the man though I had never told her why.

"My father introduced us the day before the wedding was scheduled, and I knew instantly that I would never love him. He was cold and harsh and the way that he looked at me was as though he were buying a horse. I was appraised from every angle. I remember the words he used... 'she'll do'. Great start, huh?" I said to her.

"And your parents didn't have a problem with that?" she asked, sounding horrified

"No," I replied. "They were excited, choosing only to see what they wanted."

"Yuck," she grumbled.

"Anyways, I didn't really have a choice. I had to do what my father wished of me and so I married him. It was awful. He was a harsh husband, treating me as more of a child than my parents had. I was truly only alive while he was at work when I could spend time with my mother and my sisters. Then, when I didn't fall pregnant within a month of our wedding, he began to get truly cruel. He controlled everything, when I could see my family, what I wore, when we were intimate, where I went and even what I ate. After a short time I was pretty much house bound, my only job to conceive his child."

"How horrid!" she gasped.

"Finally I fell pregnant, over a year after our wedding. It was a hard pregnancy. I could barely eat I was so sick, I had no energy and a husband whose demands both in and out of the bedroom never ceased. My mother was not allowed to help me, because according to my husband I needed to toughen up. Finally the time came for my child's birth. Forty hours, I struggled through at home as my husband insisted, though the midwives begged for him to take me to the hospital. Finally my son was born. He was a large baby, but completely perfect, other than the fact he looked like my husband. We named him Nathaniel Martin. As much as I hated being a wife, I loved being Nate's mother. It was almost a week before I could get out of bed without risking fainting or falling. Days after that, Nate and I had fallen into a wonderful routine. He was such a good baby. He slept for six hours at night and rarely ever cried. Shortly after, my husband went out to celebrate the birth of his son, and came home drunk. I didn't hear him come in as I was in the nursery putting Nate down for the night. As I laid him in his cradle, I told him he was a good baby and that I loved him with my whole heart," I said, smiling at the last good memory of my son.

"Awww," Bella cooed.

"My husband overheard my declaration to our son and he was furious. He ranted that I had never told him that I loved him. I did. I told him I loved him, lying through my teeth to save myself from a beating and to keep the peace in Nate's room. He raged, Bella. He yelled and carried on. He told me what a terrible wife I was, and that I was an awful mother. I tried to move out of the nursery so that Nate would not be disturbed, but he was out of control. As I tried to get past him, he grabbed my arms and pulled me harshly towards him. He just glared at me, hatred filling his eyes then he threw me against a wall with all his might. The wall I hit was over Nate's cradle, causing it to tip over," I said, getting quiet as I remembered the horrid images that came next. "He never made a sound as he hit the floor, the large wooden cradle toppled over on top of him. I frantically tried to get to him, while Martin looked on, completely unemotional. When I did, I knew it was too late. He was gone."

"Oh Mom!" she sobbed, sitting up in the back seat, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"My husband raged the rest of the night as I cradled our dead son to my chest and wept. He blamed me for everything. I knocked his cradle over. I didn't protect him. I don't know if I believed his words, but I felt some truth in my heart. I hadn't been strong enough to protect him. Finally Martin went to sleep, long after the sun had come up, leaving me in the nursery with our son. I knew what I had to do. I righted the cradle that was still on it's side and fixed it to it's previous state. All the blankets were as they should have been. Then I did the last thing I could for Nate, I changed his diaper and put him in a fresh gown before I wrapped him in the baby blanket I had made for him while I was pregnant. Then I kissed his tiny hands, that were so cold compared to the warmth they held just hours before. Finally I kissed each of his tiny cheeks and his little lips, before apologizing for not protecting him. Then I lay him in his cradle and walked out of his nursery for the last time ever," I said.

Bella's sobs were gut wrenching, but from a mother's point of view, I was glad that someone could cry for my baby.

"As I left the nursery, I heard Martin snoring down the hall, and I hated him with everything I possessed. I couldn't live with all that pain and hate. I couldn't live without the only real love I had ever felt, my son's. He was the only good thing in my life. I dressed hurriedly in my most expensive dress and went for a walk, heading for the cliffs," I told her. "Once there, I wasted no time, I walked right to the edge, not caring that there were people all around going about their morning business and I threw myself over hoping to die against the rocks below. I heard the screams as I went down but none of them were mine. I don't remember anything until the burning."

She sniffled softly, allowing me to continue. I have to say, I haven't spoken of this in at least ten years, and I was glad to share it with her.

"Now this part comes from Carlisle as I was unconscious. Apparently, some men scrambled down the cliff after me and tried to save me. I was brought to the hospital but the first doctor to see me knew it was hopeless, I wasn't long for this world. So they sent me to the morgue. Carlisle happened to be there, transporting another patient to the morgue. He saw me, noticing I was still breathing and he said he felt a connection to me instantly. He was off his shift in minutes and so he bit me in the morgue and brought me to his home. The first sensation I remember after my plunge from the cliffs is the burning. I thought I was in hell, and I was okay with that. Then I heard Carlisle's voice. I listened to him talk the entire time and when I woke, I felt the connection too," I said, now praying that my love would forgive me for what I was about to do.

She calmed down and wiped her eyes, looking at me to continue.

"The love between us was all I had ever wanted. Then there was Edward. All my mothering instincts carried through to this new life and Edward was the first recipient," I said with a smile. "He never complained."

"What will my change be like?" she asked.

"You'll feel the burning, I can promise that," I said. "But I will stay with you. I will talk to you about your human life and hopefully it will help you remember. No matter what I will be with you."

"Thank you," was all she said. No other reaction. I smiled softly at my brave daughter. She had been through so much and yet she was still so strong.

"What happened to..." she started to ask.

"To my husband?" I asked, spitting the words from my mouth as though they were poison.

She nodded her head.

"I don't really know. We left town shortly after I was changed, leaving all the horrid memories behind. I did research him once, a few years ago. All I could find was reports of his death about ten years after mine. It did not list any surviving relatives," I said.

"Will I remember all my human memories?" she asked.

"It's different for everyone, but I imagine that you will remember most of them," I said.

She nodded as I spoke, biting her lip.

"Are you worried?" I asked.

"I don't want to forget," she said softly.

"I will help you remember during your change. And after, I will help you get back all your memories if that's what you want," I said.

"I don't want to forget Charlie," she said.

"I promise," I said, noting that she didn't really mention her mother.

She was quiet for a few minutes and as we turned into the driveway she took a deep breath and climbed into the front seat.

"So how are we going to do this?" she asked.

"Do you want a last human meal?" I asked her.

"Not really. I enjoyed our time in Seattle as my last human meal and memories," she said.

"Me too," I said, reaching over to pat her leg lovingly.

"Will my tattoo...?" she asked.

"I'm not really sure. I know our venom heals wounds but I haven't met anyone with a tattoo, especially a fresh one," I answered honestly.

We arrived at the house and I insisted she ride on my back while we checked around the house. I could smell Laurent's scent in the house, but it was older, and there was no sign of Victoria.

"So where?" I asked.

"I don't care," she replied.

I decoded to bring her to the room I shared with Carlisle. It was obviously the first time she had been into this room.

"I thought that your room would be bright like the rest of the house," she said as she looked at the chocolate colored walls, dark wood furniture and taupe accents.

"I like to keep the main areas neutral so we don't have to change it when we return. The bedrooms get changed all the time," I explained.

"Do you want to have a shower or change into something more comfortable?" I asked her.

"Honestly," she replied. "I want to do this before you change your mind."

"I promise I won't change my mind. I want you to be ready," I told her.

"I am ready," she said.

We sat on the bed together and I opened the curtains so we could get a view of the forest. I grabbed a brush from my dressing table and began to brush through her hair. She smiled at me. I tied her hair back in a french braid, exposing her neck.

"Do you want me to tell you when...?"I asked her.

"Yes, please," she said.

"Ready?" I asked her, my own nerves picking up. Her heart rate sped up a little but not as much as I expected.

It was my turn to bite my lips as I moved myself into position.

"I love you, my forever daughter," I told her.

"I love you, Mom," she said.

Then I moved my teeth to her neck and I felt her nod her head and her heartbeat relaxed to it's previous state. Then I sank my teeth in.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry this is so late. Life has been kicking my butt!!! All credit for the great characters goes to Stephenie Meyer, I just enjoy playing with them!

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Bella's blood flooded my mouth instantly and the urge to drink from her was stronger than almost any other desire I had ever had. The only thing stronger was love. And I loved my daughter.

I forced the blood back into her neck with all my venom, until I had no more to give. I only hoped it was enough. Then I used my tongue to wash over the wound I created, sealing the venom in place.

Other than the initial gasp, Bella showed no outward signs of pain during this process. Quite honestly she was like a rag doll in my arms. The only thing that led me to believe she was even conscious were her hands clenched tightly into fists at her side. Her heart rate remained the same which worried me to no end. I remembered Rosalie's racing heart as the change began, and Emmett's. Had I done something wrong?

I took stock of the situation as I lowered Bella's body onto my bed. I looked at her body, laying relaxed as if she were merely sleeping noting how her chest rose and fell as if in a deep slumber. Her hands which had been clenched moments ago were relaxed by her side. I sniffed the air, chancing it for the first time since the wound on her neck was opened. The slight scent of Bella's blood lingered in the air, but there was no temptation to do anything. I picked up her wrist and brought it close to my nose. The scent of her blood was mixed with my venom here.

The venom seemed to be doing it's job, so now it was my turn to fulfill my promises to her. I curled up next to her on the bed, wanting to be as close as possible to soothe her.

"I am so proud of you, Bella," I said as I ran my hand over her mahogany hair. "You are the bravest girl in the whole world. First for even agreeing to start seeing Edward. Second, for dealing with his crazy siblings. Alice and her crazy desire to shop, Jasper with all of his idiosyncrasies, Emmett with his loud and crass behavior and Rosalie with her apparent distain. You faced James with courage and then this. You met the challenge head on instead of waiting for someone else to rescue you. I love you my girl."

I reminded her of some of my best memories of her. Learning to cook with her, so I could cook for her. Of course I had to say I wanted to learn to cook so that I could donate food to a homeless shelter. So self sacrificing. Then I spoke of Charlie, and her heart rate increased momentarily, before returning to it's normal rhythm. I told her that Jasper had sensed Charlie's feelings for her on more than one occasion, and that he loved her and was so proud of her, but that he was scared to show it.

I told her that the family may be angry about how this came to be, but they would be so happy to have her as a permanent member of our family. Carlisle would love her like a daughter, the other's like a sister, and Edward, for all his earlier reluctance, would be thrilled, knowing he could truly be with her forever.

I heard the wolves arrive outside, and I smelled them too. Yuck!! Wet dog mixed with garbage and something acrid.

"Bella," I said to my girl, as I placed a kiss on her forehead. "I am going outside to speak with the wolves. I will return as quickly as possible."

She didn't move or show any reaction at all, I hoped that was a good thing.

I moved quickly down the stairs and threw open the front door. On the lawn, not twenty feet in front of me, were two large wolves and a scantily clothed man. The man was at least six feet tall and, yet, the wolves, standing on all four feet, were taller. They were an impressive sight.

"Good evening," I greeted.

"Not really," the man replied.

"Thank you for your assistance," I said again, not biting with his snarky comment.

"It isn't for you. It is for our chief and for Bella Swan," he said.

"Still, she is my daughter in every way that matters, and your help is much appreciated," I said.

"It is taken care of," he said. "The house is completely destroyed."

"Thank you again," I said, smiling softly.

"How long are we stuck here?" he asked.

"I will get you a timetable of when you should expect someone here," I told him. "How should I contact you?"

"One of us will be within earshot at all times. We will howl with our acceptance as we prefer to be in wolf form when danger is near," he said, as I watched his body twist and shiver.

"Is there anything that I can provide for you?" I asked.

"No," he said simply.

"Well, I must return to my daughter," I said.

"Has it begun?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied simply.

"How much longer?" he asked.

"Almost three days," I replied.

He simply grunted in acknowledgement.

"Make sure you keep your end of the deal. If she attacks a human, we will rip her to shreds, Charlie Swan's daughter or not," he said.

"I understand," I said quietly. " I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening."

"Be sure that you do," he said before turning on his heals.

The two wolves and their half naked spokesman walked into the woods. I quickly closed the door and set the motion alarm downstairs. Although I would probably sense someone approaching the house, I couldn't be too careful. I quickly made my way back to Bella's side. She had not moved a muscle but her face and all exposed skin were covered in a slight sheen of sweat.

I quickly made my way to the bathroom and grabbed a cloth, running it under cold water before I returned.

"Oh, my strong brave girl," I said to her. "Let me help what I can."

I ran the cloth over all her exposed skin. Through the cloth I could feel that the temperature of her skin had risen. I ran my icy hand over her face and then gently smoothed her hair back.

I put the cloth on the side table, after a few moments. The cool cloth was now too warm to be effective.

I picked up my phone and looked at it for a few minutes. Would they be upset? Disappointed? Angry? Did they already know what had happened?

I decided that I couldn't wait for the answer anymore, and I quickly dialed Carlisle's number.

"Es?" he asked, sounding panicked.

"Hi," I said softly.

"Thank God!" he said, and with his background, I knew he meant it in the more traditional sense, not the overused current definition of it.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"No," he answered. "I miss my wife and I haven't even been able to call her and tell her how sorry I am."

"Car…" I started but he wouldn't have it.

"Please, Darling, just listen to me," he begged and I remained silent. "I was wrong, so wrong. We should never have left. Our family needs Bella. We need you."

"But…" I stammered.

"I didn't understand, he explained. "I couldn't see… I wanted to believe that Edward was doing the right thing."

I listened as his voice trailed off.

"She was meant to be with us. I am so glad you stayed with her, Es. She needs you as much as we all need her. Especially Edward," he said.

"Carlisle," I said softly, interrupting what was sure to become a self depreciating rant. "What happens now? Are you ready to come back?"

"We all are… Edward just needs a little push and he'll be there with bells on, begging her forgiveness," he said.

"I…" I started.

"What is it, Ed? I thought you'd be happy," he said.

"I am," I explained. "It's just that things have happened."

"Has she found someone new?" he asked, wondering what was so bad that I couldn't elaborate.

"No," I said. "She loves him… She's pissed, but she loves him. It's just…"

"Please, Esme," he begged. "I'm going crazy."

"I took Bella to Seattle for an overnight trip. It was Charlie's idea," I said. "When we came back to Forks… Laurent was in Bella's house."

"Laurent???" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "He never threatened us directly but said that Bella's blood and innocence were calling him and it would be a shame for her to loose either."

"What?" he roared. "Then he proceeded to mention the fact that he had been in our home and knew that the family was gone. He had my cell phone that was left at the house."

"How dare he!?!" Carlisle roared again.

"There's more," I said. "He left out the back door and before I could pull Bella back into the house he appeared next to her and said that she smelled as delectable as alweays and that fresh blood was an appealing scent on her."

"Fresh blood?" he asked. "Is her arm okay?"

"It's fine. She decided to get a tattoo," I replied.

"What did she get?" he asked. "A quote?"

"Yup. Shakespeare," I replied.

"To thine own self be true?" he asked.

"Nope," I replied. "Her quote is from Romeo and Juliet."

"Romeo, Romeo…" he started.

"Nope. You'll never guess. I was blown away," I said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"So dear I love him that with him, all deaths I could endure. Without him, live no life," I said.

He was speechless.

"I know," I said. "she explained that she didn't want to go on without him, but that she had no foolish intentions. She just… She loves him so much that a life without him is empty."

"Wow," he said.

"There's more," I said with a sigh.

"What?" he asked.

"Victori,"I replied, but before I could elaborate he went off.

"What do you mean Victoria? What the hell is she doing there?" he asked.

"I don't know. I do know that she left the police station with Charlie Swan last night and nobody has seen or heard from him since," I said.

"How is Bella?" he asked. "Does she know?"

"Yes, she knows. I figured she would be scared, terrified really… But she wasn't. She did however beg me to change her. She didn't want to be a sitting duck, waiting for her demise."

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I explained the treaty," I said and I heard him gush a sigh of relief. "She took the news about the wolves rather well. Only asking about fairies and unicorns," I said.

"Sounds like our girl," he said proudly.

I liked how he called her our girl and I found myself running my hand across her forehead and over her cheeks. She already was looking paler than she had before and her skin was firmer. I wished that I had taken note of this with Rose and Emmett's changes.

"Then what?" he asked. "What's the plan?"

"She called Billy Black," I explained. " A close friend of Charlie's and asked about the wolves."

"A relative of Ephraim Black?" I asked.

"His grandson," I said.

"And?" he asked.

"There are three wolves in La Push," I said. "She then proceeded to ask to speak to them, wanting to arrange a codicil to the treaty allowing her change."

"Of course he said no," he filled in.

"At first, but she countered all his arguments and the next thing I knew I was on the phone with him and he asked me to change her. Told me that Charlie would want her to be safe," I said. "The wolves have framed her death, burned the house to the ground and they are currently here protecting her at our house."

"Have you???" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Two hours ago."

"Are you not with her?" he asked. "It is so quiet."

"I am right next to her. I only left her for a moment to talk to the wolves," I said.

"Why is she so silent?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied. "I forced all the venom I could into her neck but even her heart rate remains unchanged."

"Can you smell the venom in her?" he asked.

I lifted her arm and smelled her wrist, though I was certain I didn't need to, I could smell it.

"Yes. It is very strong at her wrist," I said. "Her body temperature is elevated and her skin seems paler and firmer."

"When did you???" he asked.

"Four hours," I replied.

"And she is completely still with no signs of distress at all?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied. "When I first bit her she gasped and clenched her fists, but then she relaxed into it and released her fists soon after."

"That's fast," he said. "It was at least ten hours before any of you showed any physical signs of the change. Other than the pain."

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"It means that Bella is doing things her own way… The way that we least expect it," he said.

"But you said she screamed as James' venom flowed through her," I said.

"Maybe it desensitized her," he surmised.

"Possibly," I said.

"We will be there as soon as the kids get back. As soon as Edward hears that she is in any danger…" he said.

"Please?" I begged. "Don't tell him."

"She will need to know that he came back because he wanted to, not because he was forced to," I said.

"I understand," he said. "But if he hasn't made the decision within an hour of his return, all bets are off. I don't like my wife and daughter in danger while I am so far away."

"Thank you," I told him.

"I love you, Esme," he told me. "With all that I am, with all that I'll ever be, forever and even longer."

"As I love you," I replied using the rest of our wedding verse that he had just quoted. "When the sun no longer rises and sets, when the oceans are dry and time ceases to exist, still I'll be yours, and you'll be mine."

"I will talk to you soon, Darling," he said.

"Carlisle," I replied. "Make sure you guys are seen leaving Alaska. We don't want it to appear that we have any involvement in Bella's death."

"Good point my dear," he said. "You keep safe. I m do proud of you for what you've done for our girl."

Our conversation was interrupted by a car pulling into the driveway. I told Carlisle and made my way downstairs to see who it was. He insisted n staying on the line.

"It's Deputy Mark," I said softly as I watched the deputy stop his car at the front of the house and step out slowly.

I hurried upstairs and dressed myself in a nightgown, keeping my phone with me though Carlisle has since hung up. Deputy Mark approached the door, rang the bell and knocked loudly. I made my way downstairs, pulling out my best acting abilities as I went. It was after midnight and he should have been waking me.

"Who is it?" I called through the door, using my tired voice.

"Deputy Mark from the Forks Police, Ma'am," he said.

"Just a minute," I said. "Let me get the lock."

As I opened the door I pretended to squint against the porch light and I pulled my robe around me further.

"Is there something wrong, Deputy?" I asked. "Why are you here in the middle of the night?"

"When was the last time you saw Isabella or Chief Swan?" he asked.

"I saw Isabella just a few hours ago and Chief Swan a day or two," I answered, acting confused. "What's going on?"

"Chief Swan left over twenty four hours ago and hasn't been seen since. Do you know of Isabella's whereabouts?"

"She was at home when I left just after 7:00. She was planning on taking a bath and turning in early. Isn't she there now?" I asked, allowing panic to pass through my voice.

"There's been a fire," he said sadly. "Her truck was in front of the house. Neighbors said that she had been home at the time and nobody saw her leave. I just hoped that maybe…"

"Not Bella," I said. "It can't be!"

"We aren't 100% sure, but it seems that way," he said sadly. "We've been trying to reach the chief with no success."

"But you don't know she was inside?" I begged.

"No," he said. "Fire investigators are on their way from Port Angeles, though I don't know what they'll find. The house is nothing but a pile of rubble."

I sobbed into my hands, using a hidden bottle of eye drops in my hand to simulate tears in my eyes. My acting abilities had gotten very good through the years. I finally lifted my head as Deputy Mark patted my back soothingly.

"I hate to do this, but have you been home alone all evening?" he asked.

"Yes," I sniffled. "Carlisle and the kids have all left. I was preparing to close down the house, and spending some time with Bella. She and Edward were so close and… Oh! Edward..." I squeaked before burying my head in my hands once more.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"Alaska," I sobbed.

"I have to call. I have to tell them…" I sobbed and Deputy Mark was once again consoling me.

"Did anyone see you leave the Swans, Mrs. Cullen?" he asked. "I have to investigate."

"I don't know," I sobbed. "I can't think."

"Take your time," he replied. "Do you need some water?"

"Yes," I replied. "I'll get some and be right back. Do you want anything?"

"No thanks, Ma'am," he said as I wandered into the kitchen, pretending to sniffle and try to compose myself. I grabbed a cup and poured myself some water. Yuck! I pretended to drink, bringing it up to my lips so I would leave a mark on the glass. Then I returned to the living room with my mostly empty glass.

"Thank you," I said, feigning slight composure.

"Did you stop anywhere? Did anyone see you?" he asked.

"I stopped for gas," I said softly. "I spoke to Ernie briefly there… And I think the neighbor across the street was unloading groceries as I left the house."

"That should be good. The business cameras in town would show if you returned to the Swan house. I know you are planning on moving but please don't leave town until this is all cleared up," he said.

"Thank you, Deputy," I replied. "I need to call Carlisle and the kids. I'm sure they will be here soon. She is very important to my family. Please let me know if you find anything. Good or bad… I need to know."

"Yes, Ma'am," he said

I watched as Deputy Mark made his way out of the house and into his car. He looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. I guess, it was. His police chief is missing and the police chief's daughter is presumed dead. Not what he had been expecting on this night, or probably any night in Forks.

I made my way back to Bella, who still appeared to be sleeping. I talked to her, running through various memories of her human life as I spoke. I ran my fingers through her hair which seemed stronger and even more lustrous. We stayed that way until morning and probably would have stayed longer but my ringing phone brought me back to reality.

I hit the answer button, and before I could even say hello, Alice was speaking.

"Oh, Mom!" she said, quickly, almost sobbing.

"Alice," I greeted my second daughter.

"What happened? I didn't know… I didn't see!" she sobbed.

"I know," I soothed her. "We're okay."

"I can't see you. Not at all," she sobbed.

"I'm here," I said.

"Is Bella… did you really change her?" she asked.

"I did," I answered.

"And Laurent and Victoria?" she asked.

"No clue," I said. "I haven't seen Laurent since yesterday at Bella's house. I haven't seen Victoria at all. You probably would probably have a better idea that I do."

"I can't see them either. Maybe I'm broken," she said sobbing again.

"Shhh," I said. "You aren't broken. Maybe it's all the emotions of the situation."

"Maybe," she conceded.

"Can you see the others?" I asked.

She paused for a moment before she said, "Yes."

"Just give it some time, Alice. It will all come back," I soothed.

"Thank you, Mom," she sighed.

"Alice… why did you say Bella would really need me if you didn't see this?" I asked her.

She gave a sarcastic snort before she sighed. "The kids at school were going to be really unkind when they heard about us leaving. She would have really struggled," Alice said sadly. "If only…"

"I see," I said. "So what's the plan now?"

"We're all coming back," she said somewhat wistfully. "Actually, Jasper, Edward and Dad are on their way. Rose and Emmett decided to stay out and do a little big game hunting, so they don't know about everything else… That's why I'm still here. They won't be back for 43 minutes, then it will take almost an hour before Emmett is calm enough to get to the airport. Dad, Jazz and Edward are chartering a plane from a very happy pilot in Prince Rupert. The cover story is that they were on our boat, salmon fishing when they heard so they hurried to the closest port, our friend is returning with the boat as he didn't have his passport."

"Friend?" I asked.

"They're just running and going to the harbor in Prince Rupert to clear customs," she said.

"Oh," I said, feeling rather stupid.

"How is Bella?" she asked. "Dad said her change is different… that she doesn't seem to be in any pain."

"I'm sure she's hurting Alice… I just think that in comparison to everything else she's feeling…" I trailed off. Her love leaving her, with the her best friend and surrogate family and then her father's disappearance and probable death.

"I miss her," she said.

I know," I answered. "How is he?" I knew she'd know which he I was referring to.

"He's not good," she said.

"Tell me, please," I said as I sat and rubbed my cool hand over Bella's overheated skin.

"He was moping around so much that we decided we needed to stage an intervention. Emmett and Jasper physically dragged him out to the woods, so we could all go hunting. Rose and I came too. You would have been so proud of Rose. She told him he was an ass for leaving Bella like he did," she said, finishing in a giggle.

As much as I was loathe to admit it, I was proud of Rose for sticking up for Bella, even if she did so by calling her brother an ass. He certainly deserved it.

"Anyways after the guys had dragged him a ways, probably a few miles longer than necessary, they let him go. He just fell limply to his knees on the ground, he didn't even try to fight back," she said, all pep gone from her voice. "He just sat there wallowing in his grief."

"He loves her," I said softly.

"So much. Jasper was nearly on his knees with the pain that Edward was emitting. Finally everyone had their say. First Rose, who, as I said earlier, called him a selfish ass. Then Emmett, who called him a selfish meany… and some other things, before he told Edward how much he cared about Bella and missed her and how it wasn't fair that Edward got to decide this for all of them. Then Jasper, who apologized for snapping at Bella, again, and promised to stay away as long as was necessary for Bella to be safe. Finally I went, and mentally I pulled up every happy memory any of us had with Bella. I flooded my mind with them, one after another. Jasper hit his knees and I stopped. I told him how much she loved him and I asked Jasper to show Edward exactly what Bella felt for him," she said. "As soon as the love flooded us all, Edward started sobbing. He thought it would be too late, that she would never forgive him."

"He was still willing to give her up?" I said looking down at Bella, who had tears running down from her eyes.

Tears? I don't remember this part… She could hear us!! She was listening… and hearing how much pain he was in was affecting her.

"Then what?" I asked Alice, knowing Bella could hear and praying it would help.

"I asked him if she was worth the chance?" Alice said softly. "He told us that she was worth everything, and that he would sit at her feet and beg her forever for another chance."

The tears flowing down Bella's cheeks increased at this point. She was hearing this, and more than anything else, this would help her.

"And?" I asked.

"He ran back to the house, anxious to get to his car and drive back to her. He was on his way back," she said.

"What about the matter of her mortality? Did you discuss that at all?" I asked, more for Bella's benefit than anything.

"He was willing to let her decide. He realized he was wrong to decide for her. He wanted her to have all the details and make her own choice," she said.

"And what happened when he got to the house?" I asked.

"Carlisle intercepted him in the garage and Edward growled at him. He told Carlisle he made a mistake and he was going back to fix it… Then Carlisle told us what's happening in Forks..." she said. "He was beside himself. He was so desperate to get back…"

"And does he know that…?" I asked.

"That you changed her?" she asked. "He does. He was sad at first, that it wasn't his venom in her veins. Then he worried about her, until Carlisle told him that she was calm and not writhing and screaming in pain. Then he was more worried until Carlisle said that Bella never does anything the way we'd expect. Then he worried about the treaty until he learned that Bella had smoothed that through… Shall I go on? Mr Controlling was worried about every situation that he couldn't control. In the meantime I looked for the fastest way to get us all back to Forks."

"And that was the plane out of Prince Rupert?" I asked.

"By two hours and seven minutes," she said.

"So when will they be here?" I asked.

"Landing in Port Angeles at 2:17, renting a car, though Edward wants to run, stopping at the police station in Forks to beg for information at 2:50. They leave the station at 3:17 and then I see nothing!" she said.

"Thanks, Alice," I said. "I'll let the wolves know."

"I wish I could see more, but I can't. It worries me," she said.

"I know, Sweetheart," I said. "When will you, Emmett and Rose be here?"

"Jasper will pick us up at 7:30 tonight," she said. "Just in time for the candlelight vigil at Bella's at 8:30."

"So the whole town knows?" I asked.

"Yup," she said.

I sighed before asking the next question. I knew Bella would want to know.

"And what of Charlie? Can you see anything regarding him?"

She paused for a bit and then gasped slightly.

"State patrol will find him tomorrow morning in the car Victoria had. She crashed it into a tree, killing him instantly," Alice said quietly. The tears that streamed down Bella's cheeks harder then before let me know that she had heard what Alice had said.

Alice paused a little longer before adding, "She never even drank from him. He thought he was going on a date and then she started talking about Bella. He asked how she knew his daughter. She wouldn't tell him. So he asked her again and she told him she was going to kill her. He was furious and told her it wasn't funny. She looked at him, pulled her contacts out and told him that it was no joke."

"Oh," I said, thinking of what poor Charlie must have gone through.

"She proceeded to go into detail about how she planned to kill Bella. Charlie pulled his gun on her, he couldn't take the words anymore. She laughed at him. He pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted off her chest and through the front windshield. She laughed harder and told him to put his toy away before he hurt himself. She started driving faster and faster, playing chicken with oncoming semis before she tired of the game and drove into a tree. She only planned to injure him so she could physically torture him for a while, giving her ammunition to torture Bella with. He felt no physical pain, but was worried about Bella, hoping you would keep her safe from the crazy woman."

"Sick Bitch," I mumbled.

"Go Mom!" Alice said.

I hung up the phone quickly after that and pulled Bella into my arms. Her tears streamed down her cheeks. Holding Bella close, I could see all the changes that had already occurred.

There was the obvious, her increased hearing, that was shown when she was able to hear both sides of my conversation with Alice. The increased luminosity of her skin as well as the temperature which was initially higher, but was now cooler than normal. Her heart rate had slowed dramatically and her breathing was also slower. Her skin was firmer to the touch and smoother, and her hair glittered with way more highlights than we had added in Seattle. It seemed that this was going faster than either Rosalie's or Emmett's, and definitely faster than mine.

I couldn't wait for Carlisle to get here, he'd know what was going on with Bella's change. Plus, I really needed to be in my husband's arms again. It had only been days but it was far too long. I would never regret standing up for my daughter and the thought of what could have been if I hadn't stayed was too horrifying for words.

And Jasper, when you're up against any opponent, his tactical abilities were invaluable, not to mention his fighting ability or his emotional gift. Going up against any opponent, I would be glad to have him with me.

And Edward, my first son. Edward, who I needed to remind myself was stuck in his seventeen year old body, though he was over one hundred years old. Edward, who was hurting so much that I wanted, no needed, to help make it better. Don't get me wrong, he was still in line for an ass kicking, and the sooner he got here the sooner my foot could be introduced to his backside.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I have fought FF all day to upload my story! Thank you BUTTERFLYBETTY for finally getting this up!! Searching will be updated tomorrow or Wednesday! If anyone wants to learn how I uploaded PM me. :)

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Once Bella was completely calm I whispered to her that I needed to make sure that the wolves knew about my family's imminent arrival. I opened the downstairs door and called out. Three large wolves loped into view, before the one I knew as Sam turned into the trees, coming back moments later in a large pair of sweatpants.

"Carlisle, Jasper and Edward will be here this afternoon, followed this evening by Alice, Rose and Emmett," I said to them.

I watched for Sam's reaction. To say that the reaction was mixed would be an understatement. The fact that he would no longer need to play guard dog was obviously pleasing, but the fact that six more vampires would soon be on his doorstep was anything but.

"I assume that you won't be staying here long, that you will be taking Bella away soon," Sam said, obviously needing a bit of good news.

"Yes. She will likely need to be in an area far from humans, and since she is supposed to be dead…" I said.

"Agreed. Will you return to Forks again?" he asked.

"We would like to return here again in sixty or seventy years," I said, calmly. "It really is the perfect climate for my family."

"There will be wolves waiting to protect our interests at that time," he said with a nod.

"I expect that their will, and we will look forward to meeting the next chief and maintaining our treaty," I said.

"That all depends on you," he said.

"We will keep our side of the treaty. We appreciate all the help you have given us in this matter," I said.

"Is it true about Charlie Swan, that he was killed by one of the vamps?" he asked, although it seemed to pain him to do so.

"Yes. Alice, my middle daughter, can see the future. Victoria did kill Charlie, although she didn't drain him, just crashed him into a tree. He will be found in the morning," I said.

"Couldn't she have seen it before?" he asked.

"She's been asking herself that same question, but unfortunately her gift is not infallible. She would have had to be looking for either Charlie or Victoria for it to work," I said.

"So she can't see everything?" he asked, a slight smile visible on his face.

"No, the future isn't concrete. People change their minds, situations change… Most of the time that affects the future. Some visions, like Alice's vision of Bella becoming a vampire, will happen no matter what… Although Edward was willing to sacrifice everything to try to change it," I said.

"I see," he said, nodding his head slowly. "Why didn't he want her?"

"He did, more than anything ever, but becoming a vampire was not his choice, it was death or vampire life… Carlisle chose vampire life, with the help of his human mother. It isn't the easiest thing, vampire life. You are stuck forever at whatever age you were when you were changed. So for the kids, it means that they attend high school over and over and over again. He didn't want her to have to sacrifice anything to be with him," I said.

"I can see the problems," he said, and I was glad to be encouraging discussion between our groups. The more they understood us, the easier it would be.

"Then there is the issue with others of our species. Not everyone understands our desire to live near humans. They believe themselves superior and feel the need to flaunt that superiority whenever they can," I said. "The two who are here, obviously fall into that category."

"We'll take care of them, if need be," he said.

"All the same, please be careful. Laurent and Victoria are very experienced and extremely lethal," I said.

"We can handle ourselves," he said gruffly, not liking the fact that I was warning them about anything.

"Of that I have no doubt. But I still have no desire to see you or your friends injured, or worse. If there is anything we can do to help, please let me know," I said.

"It will be a cold day in hell before we come to leeches for help," he said.

"Still," I said. "The offer still stands. I wish our natural enmity were not so. In other circumstances, I would enjoy getting to know you and your people better."

"In these circumstances, I am glad of your distance," he said.

"I can see that," I said. "It is time for me to return to my daughter. I don't like leaving her alone for long."

"Fine," he said. "Send her our condolences about her father."

"Will do," I said. "Thank you."

He turned towards the trees and phased back to wolf form and I made my way up to Bella's side. I didn't move again, until I heard a car in the driveway. I took a deep, unnecessary breath and whispered to Bella.

"They're here," I told her softly.

Through her change I knew she could hear me. I saw the tears, but her heart rate and breathing had pretty much remained the same. As soon as the words were out of my mouth her heart began to race in her chest and her breathing would be better described as panting.

"Bella," I said, worried. "What do you want me to do?"

Tears began to flow down her cheeks again.

"Carlisle needs to see you. Do you want me to keep Jasper away?" I asked.

No response. No change.

"Do you want Edward in here?" I asked.

She frantically shook her head no.

"Calm down and I will tell him you don't want to see him," I told her, hearing the car getting closer. "But, Carlisle will insist on getting in here."

She calmed down visibly after that.

"I will meet them at the door and let Carlisle up. I will do everything I can to keep Edward away until you are ready. I love you," I told her, kissing her cheek before I made my way down to the front door.  Edward was at the door before the car was stopped with Jasper at his side. His eyes were frantic and I could tell he wanted to see her, more than anything.

He didn't say a word, he simply tried to push past me, anxious to see Bella.

"No," I said, as I grabbed his arm.

"What do you mean , no?" he asked. "She needs me."

"No, Edward, she doesn't," I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked, getting frantic and angry.

"She doesn't want you there," I said firmly.

He looked like I had ripped his heart out of his chest.

"What do you mean, Esme?" Jasper asked. "Is she speaking?"

"No," I said. "She became very agitated when I heard your car. I asked her what she wanted and she let me know… I'm sorry."

Carlisle rushed into the house then. He stared at Edward who was sagged against Jasper. Jasper had an incredibly pained look on his face, obviously sensing Edward's emotions.

Carlisle flung his arms around me, lifting me into his arms, my safe haven.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry," he whispered in my ear.

"I love you," I told him.

"As I you," he said. "Where is she?"

"In our room?" I said.

"May I?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Please Carlisle…" Edward whispered, pain evident in his voice. "Make sure she is okay."

He nodded and followed me back to the room. Once there, he talked to Bella as though he expected her to answer, letting her know how sorry he was for leaving as he did a thorough check up. Once he was done, he caressed her cheek, as any father would and looked at her sadly.

"I love you my daughter," he said.

She remained calm.

"We need to talk," he said to me.

"I can't leave her alone," I said. "I promised."

"Edward can sit with her," he said.

As soon as that suggestions was past his lips, Bella's heart rate picked up and she began to struggle on the bed.

"Shh," I said as I rushed to her side. "It's okay."  I looked at Carlisle pointedly.

"Jasper could sit with you," he said to her calmly, and it was as though we flipped a switch. She was instantly calm and her heart rate returned to normal.

I could hear Edward groan in pain from the living room.

Jasper was at the bedroom door as soon as we opened it and I smiled at him as I walked past.

"Talk to her," I said. "Tell her what you know."

He nodded in response.

Carlisle and I went to the living room. I knew Edward was hurting, and as mad as I was at him, he needed to be involved in this conversation, for his own mental health.

"So," Carlisle started. "Her change seems to be going a lot faster than any of my previous experiences."

"What does that mean? Is she okay? When is she going to wake up? I need to talk to her. I need to tell her…" Edward said.

"Chill, Edward," I said. "One question at a time."

"Who are you to tell me to chill?" he snarled at me.

"The person who kept her alive when you couldn't be bothered," I snarled back.

"You know that's not true!" he snarled back. "I love her. I love her so much that I could barely breath when we were apart."

"I need to see her," he said, starting towards the stairs.

"No," I roared, and blocked his path.

"Get out of my way," he said.

"No! I promised her. I am standing up for her and until she lets me know that she wants to see you, you will not set foot in that room!" I threatened.

"If you don't get out of my way, I will make you move," he snarled.

"Enough Edward!" Carlisle said. "Bella has made herself clear, even without words, and she does not want to see you now. Deal with it! We have things to discuss. Now sit down and shut up!"

Edward looked from me to Carlisle and walked into the living room with a huff.

"How much faster, Carlisle?" I asked.

"Emmett was the fastest change out of all of you, just under three days. Even with him, he didn't show this level of change until 50 hours had elapsed, and we aren't even at 24 hours yet," he said.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, worried about Bella.

Edward snarled from his position at the far side of the living room.

"No. Something right," he said.

Edward growled again, obviously displeased.

"What?" I asked turning to him. "If you have something to say, just say it!"

"Never mind," he muttered.

I turned to Carlisle and took a deep calming breath.

"Why do you think her change is happening so quickly?" I asked.

"Honestly," he said. "I think she was ready for it. All of you fought against the burn, she welcomed it. Instead of her body fighting against the venom, she is allowing it to do what it needs to do. It is just a theory, though."

"It makes sense," I said.

"No it doesn't," Edward said under his breath.

"That's it! I've had it with you and this attitude. I know you have something to say so just damn well say it!" I snarled, walking over to him and getting right in his face.

"Why was changing her the only option? She could have remained human…" he said.

"It wasn't the only option. I could have taken her and run. However, it was the option she chose, and I respected her enough to let her make that choice," I said.

"Respected her?" he scoffed.

"Yes. Unlike you who made her feel unwanted when she would say anything about it to you. Did you ever think of that?" I asked.

"I did not make her feel unwanted!" he said.

"Yes. Yes, you did, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" I said. "Every time you made light of her choice or refused, it was like you saying, 'I don't love you enough to change you' or 'You're fun for now but I don't want you for an eternity'."

"That's not what I said though," he roared, before getting quiet. "It's not what I meant. I didn't want her to sacrifice everything to be with me. She shouldn't have to…"

"You never took into account what she wanted! It was all about you, and what you thought was best for her. Did you ever stop to think about her?" I asked.

"Every second of every day," he said, almost in a whisper.

"But you didn't look at it from her point of view," I said.

"But I know what this life is like. I know the hardships!" he said.

"So you planned to stay with her through her human life and then when she died? Then what?" I asked.

"I would have found a way to die too," he said.

"And what of your family?" I asked. "We obviously don't factor in to that choice. We all grew to love her as a sister and daughter. So we get that for fifty years and then we all lose her, and you. Is that fair to us?"

"No, but I couldn't take everything away from her. She could have gone on to get married and have a baby…" he argued.

"Did you ever ask her if she wanted that?" I asked.

"We talked about it briefly. But she would have at some point," he said.

"Maybe and maybe not," I said.

"Look at you and Rose," he said. "You both long for a baby."

"Yes, and at the point we were changed it was a desire in both of our hearts. Alice doesn't, nor do any of the Denali's," I said, having given a lot of thought to the situation.

"But how can we know? How could she?" he asked.

"It is irrelevant. She chose you. And leaving her human and in our world would never have worked, nor would dropping out of her life. She loved you with all her heart, and I'm know she still does. She is angry and hurt and you caused all of it," I said.

He looked at me as though I had slapped him.

"I didn't mean…" he started to say.

"But you did," I said. "When you left her in the damn forest. You knew what you were doing. You set out to break her heart and you did. I have never seen anyone so crushed. I have never seen anyone in more pain… And you did it on purpose."

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "What did I do?"

Every instinct I had told me to comfort him, but I fought every one of them and I turned away from him to talk to Carlisle some more.

"So," I said to him, breathing deeply to try to clear some of the anger that was boiling within me. "What do we do now? Wait for Victoria and Laurent to show up?"

"I'd imagine that they will figure out that we're changing her. I expect that they will try to attack either just before she would wake, or just after. The goal in this seems to be to hurt her. By taking Charlie…" Carlisle answered. "But they will expect her change to be three days, like normal."

"But they would know we would be back by then. They can't be planning to attack a coven of seven mature vampires with just the two of them," I said.

"No. I doubt she would be that foolish. And Laurent has some knowledge of us, with the time he spent with the Denali's. Maybe I should call them and see what they know. I'd hate to destroy Irina's mate without talking to them first… Unless he leaves me no choice," he said.

"Make the call. I'm going to get back to Bella," I said, before turning to Edward. "You better not even think of coming near her until she says so, or my foot and your ass will have an intimate meeting. Do you understand me?"

He didn't answer me but I know he understood. The slump of his shoulders let me know that he understood everything.

I hurried back up the stairs to see Jasper sitting on the bed with Bella.

"Is she hurting?" I asked him.

"Physically? Not at all. Emotionally? So much I can barely stand to be here," he said.

"What did you tell her?" I asked him.

"I told her what he felt after my attack. I told her how much he loved her, how much we all did. I told her how sorry I was for attacking her…" he said.

"You know she doesn't blame you for that," I said.

"How can she not? At the very least it led Edward to make a horrible decision that hurt her so much!" he said, obviously beating himself up about the whole thing.

"Jasper, have you ever really stopped to think why bloodlust has been more difficult for you then any of the others?" I asked.

"I know. My empathic abilities," he said, with a sigh.

"Exactly. Jasper, I don't have to tell you that my throat was burning when she cut her finger. And Edward… I'm sure his was too. Other than Carlisle, everyone was affected… And you felt every bit of it. She doesn't blame you so stop blaming yourself," I said.

"Thank you, Mom," he said hugging me. "And thank you Bella… I don't know what I have ever done to deserve your forgiveness, but I will do everything in my power to show you that I deserve it."

He kissed her cheek, then mine.

"I think I'll go talk to Eddie and let him know that she isn't in any physical pain," he said.

"Thank you. He needs some comfort and I am in no state to give it," I said with a sigh.

I sat down with my girl and ran my fingers through her hair.

"You are facing a lot of changes my daughter. I will be here every step of the way," I promised.

I sat with her for a long while as Carlisle came in and out of the room. He had called the Denali's and Irina was most surprised that Laurent was with Victoria. He had told her he planned to visit Europe for a few weeks to tie up his affairs there, then he would return to her. The entire family was on their way to Forks and would arrive the next morning. If Laurent was siding with Victoria, it would be against his mate, Irina.

That could be interesting.

When I heard another car turn into our driveway, I looked at the clock. It was still too early for it to be Alice, Rose and Emmett. I looked at Carlisle and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll be right back," I told Bella. "I love you."

To say I was nervous was an understatement. We were not expecting anyone. Carlisle, Edward and Jasper were all on alert as well. We congregated by the front door, listening as the car got closer. It wasn't until I heard the sound of two heartbeats from the car, that I relaxed.

As the car pulled into sight, I recognized the distinct markings of the Forks Police Department car. I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. Carlisle joined me on the front porch, placing his arm around my waist while instructing the boys under his breath to wait inside.

"Good evening Dr. And Mrs. Cullen," Deputy Mark said. He obviously had not slept since I saw him last night.

"Deputy Mark," Carlisle said, extending his hand.

"Of course you know Dr. Gerandy," he said.

"Bill," Carlisle said, extending his hand.

"Carlisle," Bill Gerandy said warmly.

"What can we do for you this evening? I'm assuming you are here about Isabella," Carlisle said, emotion thick in his voice.

"Yes, Sir," Deputy Mark said.

"Come in," Carlisle said, opening the door for them.

We all walked into the living room where Jasper sat comforting Edward.

"These are two of our sons, Edward and Jasper," Carlisle said. "Boys this is Dr. Gerandy and this is Deputy Mark."

Both boys nodded in the men's direction but remained closed lipped.

"They are here about Isabella," I added.

The look of pain that crossed both the boys faces did not go unnoticed by the deputy nor by Dr. Gerandy.

"Is it okay to speak with the boys present?" Dr. Gerandy asked.

"Yes. They both loved her. I doubt that I could force them to leave if I tried," Carlisle said.

"I understand," Dr. Gerandy said.

"There was a body found in the Swan residence. The entire house was destroyed. It was an old building and…" Deputy Mark said, before sighing. "The house was only a pile of rubble. There isn't much left… even the teeth are destroyed. What we do know is that the specimen is female. We could send the remains for DNA testing but with the evidence, we all agree that the body is that of Isabella Marie Swan."

"The skull had similar fractured to those noted on an x-ray you took of Isabella after the car accident last year. And the one femur that was recovered has a fracture that matches the one from Isabella's fall in Phoenix. I have the x-rays here if you want to see, Carlisle," he said.

I broke down in fake tears and both boys gathered to comfort me. Carlisle took a deep breath, looking like he was struggling for composure and reached for the file that Dr. Gerandy handed him.

He took the x-rays to a light in the kitchen. He wouldn't really need it, but a human would and Carlisle was very good at his human game. I regained my composure and left the boys to stand with Carlisle.

"It can't be Carlisle," I sobbed.

I watched as he looked at the x-rays. From my untrained eye, I could tell that they were not the same, but they were close enough to be believable to human eyes I guess.

"I see," Carlisle said taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Es."

I sobbed against Carlisle as the boys pretended to be struggling with their own emotions.

"Boys will you bring your mother upstairs. I will be up in a little bit," he said.

The two boys guided me to the top of the stairs and we stopped just out of sight, but still within hearing distance.

"I'm sorry Carlisle, I know she was important to your family," Dr. Gerandy said.

"Thank you Bill," he said. "Deputy, is there a cause of fire? Is foul play suspected?"

"The fire originated at the fuse box. The house was old… it was like lighting a match to a pile of dry twigs. She was likely in her bedroom at the time, hopefully asleep. I don't think she felt any pain," he said.

"Any word on Charlie?" Carlisle asked.

"No. I just don't know what to think. It's so unlike him to go and not call in…" Deputy Mark said.

"So you think something happened to him?" Carlisle asked.

"I know something happened to him," he said, shaking his head sadly.

"What about Isabella's mother?" he asked.

"She was very distraught. I spoke with her husband Phil this afternoon to confirm our findings. She wants her remains shipped to Jacksonville," he said. "When I told them about Charlie they weren't very kind."

"Should I call?" Carlisle asked. "We were close to her and all."

"Honestly, I wouldn't. We will be releasing the remains but someone has to physically claim them and ship them to Florida. Phil Dwyer was not overly happy about that," he said.

"Maybe I will call. That would be the least we could do for her and her mother," Carlisle said.

"Good luck," Deputy Mark said.

"I should get back to my wife and sons. I am sure I am needed. They were all very close to her and the rest of my family will be here soon. They're not going to take it well," Carlisle said.

"Charlie talked a lot about an Alice. That's your girl, right?" he asked.

"Yes. She was very close to Bella," Carlisle said.

"I'm sorry," Deputy Mark said again.

"If I can do anything for you," Dr. Gerandy said.

"Thanks, Bill. I think we will just say our goodbyes and go. Being here will be too hard on the kids, and since there is no funeral…" Carlisle said.

Carlisle shook Deputy Mark's hand and did the weird man hug thing with Dr. Gerandy before ushering them out the front door.

As soon as their cruiser was gone, Edward walked downstairs and plopped himself down on the couch, completely sullen. Jasper and Carlisle sat with him. I knew a conversation was coming and I did my best to distance myself from it. I made my way back to Bella and even though I tried not to at first, I listened to their conversation.

"That went better than expected," Carlisle said.

"Yeah," Jasper agreed.

"Alice, Rose and Emmett should be here soon," Carlisle said.

"Yippee," Edward added sarcastically.

"Look," Carlisle said. "We all get it. You need to get it too!"

"Get what?" Edward asked.

"Seriously? You don't think she has a right to be pissed at you?" Carlisle asked.

"I don't know if she's mad or if she completely hates me," Edward said.

Isabella's heart rate began to accelerate.

"She doesn't hate you. She is, however, so pissed that it puts Rosalie to shame," Jasper said.

"Does she still love me? Or did I kill that with my stupidity?" he asked.

"She loves you… But you have some major groveling to do before she gets anywhere near showing you that," Jasper said.

"I don't know what to do. I mean if she was Rose or Alice all I would have to do is buy her something. But my Bella wouldn't like that," Edward said dejectedly.

"Prove that she's yours. Think of something that she would like. Something for only her," Jasper said.

"But what?" Edward asked.

"You know the answer better than anyone else," Jasper said.

"You think about it, Son. I have faith in you. Jasper, call Alice and figure out their exact arrival time. I'm going to call Bella's mother," Carlisle said.

Obviously Carlisle and Jasper went out of earshot to make their calls because the next ten minutes the house was completely silent, except for Bella's heart rate, which was still racing and her breaths which were getting shallower and shallower.

Then it started. Edward found his way to tell Bella. I looked down at my daughter and I knew this was it. She may still be angry after this, and she had every right to be. But he found the way to her heart.

**SO WHAT DO YOU THINK HE DID????**


	11. Chapter 11

AN: I appreciate all the reviews I get on all my stories. You make me laugh, smile, bang my head, giggle and write faster! I loved all the guesses I got in regards to what Eddie did to get to Bella. A lot of you were right on the money! I hope you enjoy this chapter. The next one will hopefully be up on Monday. I make no promises though. The flu has been doing the rounds at my house and I now have a horrid cold. It wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't had 4 ear surgeries (Jan 8, Jan 22, Feb 1 and Feb 8). Anyways. On with the story. Enjoy Esme's 'discussion' with Eddie!!!

As usual... I do not own the characters. I wish I did but alas I only get to play with them.... They belong to the one and only Stephenie Meyer! sigh!!!

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Previously:

"Prove that she's yours. Think of something that she would like. Something for only her," Jasper said.

"But what?" Edward asked.

"You know the answer better than anyone else," Jasper said.

"You think about it, Son. I have faith in you. Jasper, call Alice and figure out their exact arrival time. I'm going to call Bella's mother," Carlisle said.

Obviously Carlisle and Jasper went out of earshot to make their calls because the next ten minutes the house was completely silent, except for Bella's heart rate, which was still racing and her breaths which were getting shallower and shallower.

Then it started. Edward found his way to tell Bella. I looked down at my daughter and I knew this was it. She may still be angry after this, and she had every right to be. But he found the way to her heart.

**CHAPTER 11:**

The sound drifted up the stairs as Edward showed Bella how he felt about her. The music from the piano rang out loud and clear as he played Clair de Lune. The first song that they ever listened to together. As the notes of that song faded he transitioned into her lullaby.

Tears slid down her cheeks as she listened to him play for her.

"Don't stop," I told him as I rubbed my hands through her hair. "She's listening."

He continued, without stop for an hour and though her heart rate continued to climb, and the tears continued to fall, I didn't need Jasper to tell me how soothing this was for her.

When Carlisle and Jasper returned to the house, they did so with smiles on their faces.

"Emmett, Rose and Alice will be here in forty two minutes," Carlisle said.

"And that is why Jasper is smiling," I said looking at my husband. "But something else has got you looking like the cat that ate the canary."

"Bella's change will be complete within two hours," he said. "Alice has seen it"

Though Edward didn't stop playing at all, the tone of his music changed slightly. You could sense his anxiousness in his music.

"You did brilliantly," Carlisle said, pulling me into his arms, kissing me softly.

"It was all her," I told him, looking down at our daughter.

"Not all. Esme, without you staying with her and then believing in her, having faith in her choices... This could all have ended very differently," Carlisle said. "You, my darling, are amazing."

He kissed me again, a lot more passionately than the last time.

"Hey! Not in front of the children," Jasper said, covering Bella's closed eyes protectively.

"Very funny," Carlisle said.

"I thought so," Jasper smirked.

A growl was heard from the doorway and I looked up at Edward. He had left his spot at the piano and made his way to the door. He was about to enter when I gave him a glare.

"Don't you dare!" I told him.

"I need to see her, please!" he begged.

"No! She made it clear that she doesn't want you here," I growled.

"You know I love her! You know this! Please! Just let me hold her hand. Anything," he begged. My heart would have broken for him, if it hadn't already been shattered because of the pain he caused Bella.

"Damn it Edward!" I seethed. "Get away. I promised her, and unlike some people I intend to keep my promises!"

Low blow, but damn it he deserved it.

He moved to come into the room, and out of instinct my hand flew up, slamming him against the far wall. I glared at him, my chest heaving as I tried to control the rage that was brewing inside me. He looked at me in shock, probably not believing that I just threw his sorry ass into a wall.

"I screwed up! You're right! Because of my stupidity the woman I love more than anything else in the world is hurting even more than I can probably fathom and a hell of a lot more than I ever intended. Damn it I wanted to protect her from being hurt and I am the one that caused her that pain! Nothing you can do to me will make it any worse, I truly hate myself for what I've caused!" Edward said, dropping to his knees. "Just don't keep rubbing it in. Having her in this state... It's killing me!"

"You know what, you don't get to have a pity party and feel sorry for yourself," I said. "You did screw up and you did hurt her. I have never seen anyone in more pain..."

"I was trying to protect her. I couldn't watch her destroyed because of me!" he said.

"And so you tore at her emotionally. You freaking told her she wasn't good enough for you! And then you freaking left her in the forest! How the hell could you do that?" I raged.

"She wouldn't have let me go otherwise! I had to lie. I had to..." he pled with me.

"So you ripped her where it would hurt the most to make it easier on you?" I asked.

"NO! I wanted her to hate me. I wanted her...." he explained.

"Seriously? You know what? She didn't hate you. She hated herself and she blamed herself. She always thought she wasn't good enough for you and for you to confirm that fear..." I raged.

"I lied!" he said. "She is too good for me. She always has been. I wanted her to be safe. I wanted..."

"You wanted a coward's escape! So you left her in the forest! After how many times you told her the dangers of the bloody forest and you left her there. You didn't even care enough to make sure she got home okay," I seethed.

"We were right by Charlie's house... All she had to do was turn around... I didn't think..." Edward started to explain. I no longer wanted his explanations. My concern for Bella and the stress of this situation turned my verbal filter off and every bit of rage that I felt was being directed at Edward now.

"Exactly!! You didn't think!! This whole situation would have been a non issue if you had just stopped and listened to those around you, or used your brain! You didn't considert how much she loved you! You didn't think about her choice in the matter! Honestly!! Did you truly think that you could let her into the world of the supernatural and then just take it all away?" I asked.

"I wanted her to have a chance..." he said, the power of his argument fading.

"A chance to live a miserable half life with a man that couldn't love her the way that you do and who she wouldn't love half as much?" I asked.

"No! I wanted more for her..." he said.

"But you gave her everything she wanted and needed and then you took it all away," I said.

"But what about..." he began.

"Edward you wanted it your way! Ever since you met her, everything has been on your terms. No matter what happens when she wakes up, you are in for a change!" I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, your little stunt in the woods and everything that happened after changed her. You can see for yourself the changes in her appearance," I told him.

"I heard she got a tattoo," he said.

"Yeah she did," I said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked him.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," he said rolling his eyes.

"Shakespeare," I said.

"What quote?" he asked.

"So dear I love him that with him, all deaths I could endure. Without him, live no life," I said quietly, knowing the words that Bella chose to mark her body would affect him.

"Why?" he asked.

"I guess you'll need to ask her," I told him.

"I guess," he said sullenly. "But a tattoo?"

"You have a problem with it, you'll have to take it up with her," I said.

He snorted slightly.

"Why would she do it? I just don't get it," he said.

"You don't have to," I said.

"How come you didn't stop her," he asked.

"Let me tell you this. Being a parent is not easy. In fact, loving someone is not easy. You cannot think and decide for everyone else. You can give your opinion, try to help them see reason, but at the end of the day, the decision isn't yours to make. It is hard allowing someone you care about to make decisions that you may not agree with. But it is a part of loving someone unconditionally. Being there for them when they make hard choices, and loving them no matter what. This is the hardest thing ever, I can tell you this from experience. I have sat back and watched my children make all sorts of mistakes... And loved them through it all," I said, reaching out and rubbing his cheek.

"Like?" he asked.

"Just using you as an example?" I asked.

He nodded his head.

"Well this screw up with Bella for the obvious one. I tried to lead you to the right choice and still love you, no matter how mad I am. But there is another example too," I said.

"Oh... that," he said, picking it from my mind.

"Yes, that," I said, thinking of the time when he left us to become a human drinker, and as much as it pained Carlisle and I that he would make such poor choices, we still loved and supported him, waiting for him to come home and return to our vegetarian lifestyle.

"I see," he said.

"Your Bella, the Bella who was afraid of blood and needles got a tattoo. Obviously she had a good reason for it... And I'll warn you now, if you disrespect her choice in it, I will kick your ass," I said.

He was silent then.

"Where?" he asked.

"Maybe she'll show you...one day," I said.

"How did it get to this point?" he asked.

"You mean changing her?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"When we got back from Seattle, Laurent was in her house. I smelled him and had her behind me so she was safe. He made sure we understood him and what he wanted. Then Charlie wasn't there and so Bella called the station... We found out that he was with Victoria," I said. "She got so calm. I expected hysterics as I was fighting them myself. But she was so calm. She begged to be changed. She told me she couldn't just wait for death to come. I tried to dissuade her, not that I didn't want her forever, but I didn't want her choice to be spur of the moment because she was scared."

"But she was scared," he insisted.

"Not that she showed it, but I'm positive she was," I said. "It was well thought out. She has been thinking of it for a long time and made the decision, not on the spur of the moment but because it was what she wanted. She knew everything and made the choice. For crying out loud, she managed to convince the Quileute chief that it was the thing to do. He would never have allowed it if he wasn't certain that it was right for her. Not only was he Charlie's best friend, but he knows all about us. He was convinced, so why aren't you?"

"It's not that I'm not convinced. I just couldn't stand if she hated me because of this. What if the reality that she faces doesn't meet up with what she thought it would be?" he asked.

"It may and it may not. As her family, we help her to face whatever comes her way. Look at her though Edward," I said bringing him to the door. Bella was lying on the bed and she looked radiant. Every part of her was enhanced perfectly, and though I may be biased, she is every bit as beautiful as Rose, maybe more.

"I am looking. She has always been perfect... Now she is... more..." he said softly.

"Exactly. She is beautiful and stunning and smart... and you never gave her credit for the last one. She knows what she wants... Can you live with this?" I asked him.

"I wanted this," Edward stated. "More than anything ever... But it was the one thing I was loathe to take from her. It felt selfish... it was too much."

"You know how Bella hates gifts. She wouldn't allow you to give her anything," I said. "She wanted to give you this and you refused. This was the ultimate thing she could give you and yet you acted like you didn't want it. I guess you two are more alike than you thought."

"I never though of it that way," he said. "Please can I see her? Can I touch her? I want to hold her hand and tell her how sorry I am."

"Edward... Give her time. When the time is right you will know it," I said, patting his shoulder.

I smiled at him softly, glad that I had gotten all my anger and frustration out. He stood at the doorway, longingly, looking at the girl who meant everything to him. A part of me almost relented and allowed him in... But Bella had had too many promises that were made to her broken, and I wouldn't add myself to that list.

I returned to my daughter's side and ran my fingers through her hair. Her shuttering breaths were farther apart now, and I knew from my own change that this was when the pain was most intense. It was like the fire that had consumed my entire body was pushed into the middle, and the intense pain that accompanied it grew exponentially as it did. I held her hand and told her we all loved her and that it would be over soon.

Jasper and Carlisle stood helplessly by as we watched her body tense with what we all assumed to be more pain. Edward, stood at the door, just telling her over and over how sorry he was and how much he loves her. I sponged her body, which was still way too hot, with a cool rag and whispered to her that it was almost over. I told her how proud I was of her and promised her that I would be here for her no matter what.

Time ceased to have any meaning as we were all focusing on our newest family member. It could have been seconds or minutes or maybe even hours since I finally got to tell Edward everything I wanted to say. I couldn't have guessed at the time until we heard the car approach that carried Alice, Rose and Emmett. But it seemed that not even Jasper could pull himself away from her side to greet them.

We heard a car door open and then the front door and a frantic looking Alice was in the room within a second, with Rose and Emmett just steps behind.

"Alice?" I asked, looking at her for some answer as to her less than graceful state.

"I can't see her anymore," she said. "I thought something had happened. I just don't know..."

"What do you mean you can't see her?" Carlisle asked.

"Alice," Edward growled.

"Look," she said to Edward, obviously showing him a vision.

We looked between them, watching their reactions as her vision played out.

"So start explaining," Emmett said. "You know we hate it when you do that freaky voodoo shit."

"Emmett!" I admonished. "Language!"

"Sorry, Mom!" he said with a smile.

Sorry my ass!

"So?" Carlisle asked them.

"It's like she's there but you just can't see her," Edward said.

"Exactly. It's like a blank spot. I know she's there... at least I think so...but I can't see her," Alice said.

"Al, is she going to forgive me?" Edward asked.

"I don't know. Anything that hinges on her decisions is completely blank too," Alice said.

"A shield!" Carlisle said, clapping his hands together. "Why didn't I think of this before?"

"What?" the rest of us asked in unison.

"I think Bella is a shield. It makes perfect sense. You can't hear her thoughts, and now that her change is almost complete, Jasper can't feel her emotions and Alice can't see her vin her visions. It's perfect!" he said excitedly.

"Carlisle," I asked him. "Are you sure?"

"No of course not," he replied. "But it fits. Eleazar will be here in a few hours and he'll be able to tell us."

"Four hours and twenty seven minutes," Alice said, sighing.

"What's the sigh, Alice?" I asked.

"I was hoping to see what he'd say but as soon as it gets to anything Bella... nothing!" she said, adding another sigh for good measure.

"You've finally met someone who can beat you," Emmett said smugly. "You'll finally be able to play games with someone and not know the outcome first. This is great!"

"Hmmmff," Alice said, looking angrily at Emmett.

"Ooohhh! And presents," Rose added. "We might be able to finally surprise the pixie!"

"But I don't like surprises!" Alice whined.

At that point everyone was distracted by Bella. She let out a long low moan from the bed.

"Look at her," Alice said, smiling from ear to ear. "She's perfect!"

"She always was," Edward added.

"She's so beautiful," Rose added.

"Always was," Edward added with a sigh again, obviously lamenting the fact that the rest of us were in the room while he was stuck in the doorway.

"I bet she'll be strong," Emmett added.

"If you say always was, I'm gonna slap you," Jasper said, looking at Edward.

"She was. She dealt with all of us as a human. She is strong and patient. She's just good through and through and I tried to..." He started.

"Yeah you did!" Rose snapped at him. "You fucked up and now you're going to need to grovel to make it better."

Everyone was silent for a minute before Emmett interrupted.

"Hey!! How come you didn't warn Rose about her language?" he asked, earning him a loud slap to the back of his head from Rose.

We stood mesmerized by the girl in front of us, who was nearing the end of her change. She was more agitated now, obviously fighting for control. As the time neared the two hour mark the excitement level in the room picked up.

"Everyone needs to back away from her now. She'll be highly agitated when she wakes and an agitated newborn is a dangerous newborn," he instructed.

Rose and Alice were backed against a wall, as were Carlisle and I. Emmett and Jasper stood in front of us all, waiting. Edward maintained his place at the door.

Her heartbeats started to slow. Galump... galump.... Then nothing.

Nobody so much as breathed as we watched the girl on the bed. She didn't move, she didn't breath. Seconds passed, then minutes. The tension in the room was thick. Finally Edward couldn't take it any more.

"Bella?" he said quietly. "Love?"

She didn't move at all. Seconds passed and her eyes opened, yet she made no attempt to look around.

He tried again.

"Bella?" he asked.

Her response this time was instantaneous.

"Edward?" she asked.

"I'm here," he said, stepping into the room more. "Are you okay?"

"I sound different," she said, and she did. Her voice which was so pretty before was melodic now.

Jasper motioned for Edward to step back but he shook his head.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Different," she answered. "I almost feel like I'm in someone else's body."

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

She was silent for a minute, before she sat up and looked around. Her movement was quick and fluid, but it didn't seem to phase her at all. She looked over towards us, and rolled her eyes.

"Honestly Jasper! Do you think I'm going to attack you all? Emmett, don't you know me better than that?" she asked, her voice ripe with amusement.

Neither of the boys eased up on their stance and when I attempted to move forward, Jasper pushed me back.

"Bella?" Edward said, getting her attention again. "What do you remember?"

"What do I remember?" she asked, her voice raising in anger.

"Edward!" Jasper warned, sensing something was wrong.

"What do I remember?" she asked again. "I remember everything! I remember our little walk in the forest. I remember you leaving, for my benefit. I remember struggling to want to breathe after you left. I remember curling into a ball on the dark forest floor hoping to die. I remember Esme needing to carry me home and Charlie being worried. I remember the fear on his face... and the worry. I remember the last words he said to me before some bitchy red headed vampire decided to end his life!"

"Bella," he said, "I never meant..."

"Oh I know you never meant. I heard every damn word out of your mouth. But you didn't think and left me to deal with the consequences. I'm sorry that you were hurting too. I really am, and you know what is so sick. I love you. With every fiber in my being I love you. But I don't trust you. I don't know that you won't decide to leave for my own benefit again or make choices for me because you know better than I do," she said.

"Bella... Please! It took everything I had to leave you the last time. I couldn't, not again," he begged.

"I'm not making any decisions now. My first order of business is to find two vampires and rip their limbs off... and if you don't want one of them to be you, I suggest you step back," she said as he took a step towards her.

She turned at that point and looked at the family, rolling her eyes at the defensive posture that Emmett and Jasper still maintained.

"Honestly!" she said. "I get it! I'm a big scary newborn. But this is ridiculous!"

"I've been around enough newborns to be wary, Bella," Jasper said.

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms and stomping her foot. Then she paused, took a deep breath and smiled at me.

"So, Carlisle... What's this I hear about a shield?" she asked.

"It's just a theory," he answered. "The Denali's are arriving in a few hours and Eleazar will be able to tell us for sure."

"And why is that?" she asked.

"That's his gift," Carlisle answered.

"If I am a shield, will he be able to read my power? I mean if Edward can't read my mind, Jasper can't feel my emotions and Alice can no longer see me, it stands to reason that he will be guessing too," she said.

"I guess that's possible," Carlisle said.

"So... what are we going to do while we wait?" she said. "Just stand there scared of me?"

"Jasper," I said to my son. "She is obviously more controlled than we assumed. Let me through. I want to hug my daughter."

He wasn't happy about it, but he did what he was told, stepping to the side to allow me to pass. I smiled at Bella and approached her a little slower than normal.

"Thank you," she said, pulling me into a gentle hug.

"How are you?" I asked her.

"Frustrated," she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "The big buffoons are making me feel all self conscious, but other than a little frustration at them , and of course at Edward, I don't feel the need to rip anyone apart yet."

"How's the throat?" I asked.

"A little dry but otherwise fine," she replied.

"Only a little dry?" Carlisle asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yup!" she said.

"Do you want to try to hunt?" he asked.

"Could," she replied. "But I'd really like to see what the vamp process did to me."

"You look great, Bella," Alice chirped in. "I can't wait to dress you."

"No way!" Bella spoke. "You got away with that when I was human, but there is no way I am letting you play Bella Barbie for eternity!"

"What???" Alice said, absolutely aghast that Bella would consider dressing herself.

"Sorry, Pix," she said with a smirk. "I'm dressing for comfort. I was a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl before and that's what I will remain."

"But Bella..." Alice said, looking like someone had stolen her ice cream.

"Nuh-uh," Bella said. "I bought some great new clothes in Seattle, which I assume will fit fine."

"Fit fine?" she asked.

"So where did my bags get to?" she asked me.

"In the guest bedroom," I replied.

"Well, if you'll all excuse me. I think I want to shower some of the human stink off me and get dressed in something other than this," she said, making her way out of the room at a fast human pace, brushing by Edward as if he wasn't even there.

"Well that was interesting," Rose said, smiling widely.

"It was, wasn't it?" I said, returning the smile while looking at the rest of the family who looked rather gobsmacked.

"Honestly, she just handed all of you your asses on a platter," Rose giggled.

"Mom!" Emmett said. "You're still not going to warn her about her language?"

The resounding smack Rosalie delivered across the back of his head was answer enough.

"So now what?" I asked, looking from Jasper to Carlisle.

"That certainly didn't go as planned," Jasper said. "It would certainly be easier if I could feel her."

"That just sounded wrong, Bro," Emmett said.

"You know what I mean you big oaf," Jasper said to Emmett.

"I think that she made herself perfectly clear. Not only has she managed to deal with a lot of frustration just fine, she opened and closed the guest room door without any problem at all. And Emmett you still have issue with that," I said.

"She did, didn't she," Carlisle said with a smile.

"Bella seems to be made for this life, so you all better get your heads out of your asses and show her some respect quickly, because something tells me you don't want to piss her off," I said, causing Emmett to gape at me.

"MOM!!! You said asses!" he said.

"Yes I did. And if you don't want yours kicked, I suggest you find something to do. I intend to kiss my husband now, so I respectfully request anyone that is not Carlisle, to get the hell out of my room," I said, smirking at them.

They did as they were told until it was just Carlisle and I alone.

"Hi," he said with a smile, crossing the room to pull me into his arms. "I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you, Es. You were right and I was a fool. Can you ever forgive me?"

I looked at him and saw the sincerity of his apology in his eyes.

"You are forgiven. I hate fighting with you. Can we promise to talk about it in the future and not argue? I hated being away from you," I said.

He nodded his head before hungrily claiming my lips in a passionate kiss. I silently thanked God for the fact that breathing was completely unnecessary. We kissed for a while before I heard Bella call me from her room.

"Mom," she called.

I smiled at Carlisle and made my way to her door.

"What can I do for you?" I asked through the door.

"First come on in..." she replied.

"What can I do for you?" I asked as I stepped into the room. Bella stood there in a pair of low rise tight denim jeans that hugged every curve and one of the new lacy bras we bought in Seattle. The clothes fit her well before but now, they looked like they were made for her.

"Look what happened to my tattoo," she said, turning around so I could see it.

The tattoo was not the dark black ink that she had marked on her body just days ago. In fact all the pigment was gone. Instead, the area where the words had been imprinted glittered, like the rest of ours did in direct sunlight. The words were as clear as day.

"It looks incredible," I said.

"I love it. It's a thousand times better than the original," she said with a smile.

"Definitely unique," I said. "I like it. What else?"

She looked at me strangely.

"You said first, in regards to the tattoo?" I said. "So what else?"

"I thought that the bite marks remained after the change," she said.

"Yup. We all have ours," I said.

"I don't," she said, moving her hair to show me her neck, where I had bitten her. "And the scar from James is gone too."

She showed me her wrist and the crescent scar there was nowhere to be seen.

I shrugged my shoulders and told her, "You better get a shirt on because as soon as Carlisle hears that he will be knocking on your door."

Sure enough there was a knock on the door as soon as the words were out of my moth.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked from the other side of the door.

"Just a sec," she giggled in response, grabbing one of the tighter t-shirts she purchased and pulling it over her head and pulling her hair which was dried into a high ponytail.

"Hey," she said as she went over to the door and opened it.

He wasn't even in the door when he grabbed her wrist to look at the spot James had bitten in Phoenix.

"Nothing," he muttered and then he examined both sides of her neck.

"So?" she asked.

"Not a mark!" he said. "Can I see your tattoo?"

She lifted the back of her shirt and revealed the tattoo to him.

"Simply amazing! I've never seen anything like it," he said.

We stood in silence for a bit before she interrupted with a question.

"So how long do the freaky red eyes last?" she said.

"They'll cool a bit each time you hunt. They should be nice and gold within six months or so," Carlisle answered.

"Okay. Other than that, I don't look half bad," she said.

"Half bad?" Emmett yelled from the other side of the house. "You're smokin' hot."

The resounding smack echoed through the house.

"Ouch! Rosie, that one hurt!" he whined.

"So you ready to try hunting?" I asked her.

"I guess," she replied. "I am a little nervous."

"Just do what comes naturally and you'll be fine," I said.

"You coming with me?" she asked.

"You bet. But you might find you have more spectators than just me," I said.

"Fine," she replied. "But if anyone bugs me in any way shape or form I will not hesitate kicking their asses."

"Deal," I said.

"Mom!!" Emmett whined. "Why doesn't Bella get the language warning?"

3-2-1 SMACK!

"Alice!" Emmett whined.

Bella tossed on a new pair of runners from her bags and smiled.

"Alice is going to hit a brick," Carlisle said with a smile.

"Carlisle!" I said.

"What? She is!" he said.

And I truly believed him. Bella had taken her traditional easy style and jazzed it up a bit. She was still well within her comfort zone, but Alice would definitely approve.

We made our way down to the main floor and by the time we hit the bottom of the stairs all eyes were on Bella.

"Holy hot!" Jasper said.

"You did good," Rose said.

"Hot stuff!" Emmett said. "I always knew you had it in you."

"I approve," Alice said grinning like the cheshire cat.

Edward growled. It definitely wasn't an angry growl... in fact... Ewww I didn't want to think about that!

"So who is coming hunting with me?" she asked.

"I think I can safely speak for everyone when I say that we would all love to accompany you on this hunt," Jasper said.

"As long as you leave your protect everyone from the big bad newborn stance at home, then I would be delighted for you all to attend," she said with a smile.

Everyone made their way out the back door leaving Bella, Edward and I in the main room. I could tell that Edward wanted to come but he was trying to allow Bella some space too.

"You coming?" she finally asked.

"Only if you want me to," he answered.

"Only if you want to," Bella countered.

He sighed. "I would really like to come, but I don't want you to feel awkward or uncomfortable," he finally said.

"I would like you to come," she answered. "As long as you don't make fun of me or laugh if I fall flat on my ass."

"I can promise not to make fun of you, but if you manage to land flat on your ass, I can't promise I won't laugh," he said.

"I guess that's acceptable," she said, smiling genuinely at him.

They made their way to join the rest of the group. It was still early but I could tell that they would make it work. The love they felt was palpable and I could see the acceptance growing in each of them. The though of my oldest and youngest child's happiness, made me smile and I happily joined the group for Bella's first hunt.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Enjoy this chapter!! Next will be out by Monday as long as the docs don't throw another surgery at me in the meantime. Please review... A review = a preview... and if I reach over 40 reviews for this chapter I will post the next sooner than Monday!**

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The entire family was standing on the back porch, most smiling expectantly at Bella.

"So you ready to run for yourself, Little Sister?" Emmett asked.

"Maybe," she said hesitantly.

"Why only maybe?" Jasper asked.

"Grace was definitely not my strong point.... what if that was what was magnified during my change?" she asked.

"That would suck," Rose said.

Bella took a deep breath.

"Okay so how do we do this?" she asked.

"Just run," Alice said.

"Okay... Hey Alice... Can you tell me how this is going to turn out?" she asked.

"Nope," Alice said, looking quite dejected.

"Why not?" Bella asked.

"Because I can't see you at all!" she huffed.

"Nothing?" Bella asked, grinning.

"No," she said and huffed like a child.

"Edward?" she asked. "You still can't read my thoughts?"

"Nope," he answered, with a smile, happy that she addressed him at all.

"Jasper?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "I can't feel any emotion from you or send any emotion to you. It's almost like casting emotions at a mirror."

"Cool," she said with a smile. He may not be able to sense her, but I could read her like a book. She liked to be different than the others, unique. It was something she could feel confident in.

"So are you all going to watch?" she asked, hesitant again.

"Hell yeah!" Emmett exclaimed.

"So just run?" she asked, stalling again.

"Yup," Carlisle said.

She just stood there, we all did. I didn't know what to say to make it better, but someone needed to do something soon.

"You want to follow me?" Edward asked, breaking the stalling game.

"Yeah, sure," she said.

Edward took off running and Bella took a deep breath and hopped off the porch after him. As I expected running was easy for her and her fears of being a clumsy vampire seemed so far from the truth as I watched her run nimbly into the woods. The rest of us followed seconds later, anxious to stay close to her. We promised our protection, and we wouldn't fail.

Edward was by far the fastest of all of us and Bella, with her newborn strength and stamina was fast on his heels. In no time at all, it seemed, we were following them by sound only, as they had disappeared from our line of sight.

"Bella, STOP!" Edward said from up ahead and we all pushed through.

"What?" she asked. "Why?"

I opened my senses looking for trouble, when I smelt it. Human!

"What is someone doing way out here?" Carlisle asked warily.

"Human?" Bella asked.

"It seems! Someone should have scouted this area before we took you here. I'm sorry," he said.

We all broke though to the area where they had stopped. Edward had his arms wrapped around her, but she wasn't fighting or struggling at all. She should have been. The scent was strong, too strong.

"Carlisle," I said. "Check it out. This is wrong."

He nodded his head in agreement and followed the scent. A moment passed and then another.

"Son of a...." Carlisle muttered loudly. "Stupid pieces of...!"

"What? What is it?" I asked.

"NO!" Alice gasped. "How could they have known?"

Edward growled.

"Get her out of here," Carlisle said.

"No!" Bella said. "Someone tell me what's going on!"

"Victoria and Laurent... they must have known... This... this is gruesome," Carlisle said. "I have never seen anything like it.

"What?" Bella asked, getting frustrated.

"They did it to try to bait you. They knew we'd change you and they... they killed two men and spread their blood everywhere, attempting to send you into a frenzy. Why aren't you in a frenzy?" Alice asked.

"Why didn't you see this Alice? Why is it that Victoria and Laurent are getting through your visions?" Edward seethed.

"I don't know," she said sadly. "I think I need to get out of here... the scent is far too distracting."

"Carlisle?" I asked.

"They're some local kids from the high school," Carlisle said sadly. "I doubt they ever knew what hit them."

"Who?" Bella asked.

"Tyler Crowley and the Newton boy," Carlisle answered.

"What were they doing out here?" she asked.

"They didn't come this far alone. Victoria and Laurent must have had a hand in bringing them here," he said.

"They did. They took them from the Newton's store... They wanted bait,"Alice said.

"They killed them just to tempt me?" Bella asked.

"Yes," Alice said.

"Newton and Crowley may have been creepers, but Victoria and Laurent are going to pay," Rosalie swore.

"We all need to hunt and soon," Jasper said. "Those two must know more that we expected."

"Can you let me go now Edward?" Bella asked.

"Wait until we're away from the scent. I don't want to risk you," he answered.

"Look. It smells good and all... But I'm fine," she said.

"What do you mean fine?" Jasper asked. "My throat is on fire!"

"It is?" Bella asked. "Everyone else?'

All the others nodded their heads in agreement.

"I am definitely feeling the burn," I said. "I'm not sure about Carlisle."

"I'm fine," Carlisle responded, rejoining the group. "Let's get you all out of here."

"Why don't I?" Bella mused, more to herself than anything.

"Why don't you what?" Carlisle asked, looking at her.

"Why don't I feel a burn?" she asked.

"No burn?" he asked.

"Nothing," she responded.

"Are you feeling parched?" he asked.

She raised her hand to her throat and swallowed.

"A little thirsty maybe... but nothing bad," she said.

"Really?" Edward asked.

"Are you suggesting that I'm lying?" she asked. She was obviously not impressed with the fact that he didn't believe her.

"No, not at all. It's just that..." he started to explain.

"It's just that what?" she asked, breaking lose from his hold, much to his surprise and turning around to glare at him.

"I... It's affecting me... So I assumed..." he said.

"You know what happens when you assume right?" she asked.

"Bella.." he said.

"You make an ass out of you and me!" she said. "On that note I'm off. The smell is kinda making me feel sick."

She dashed away from the clearing, leaving us all standing there with our jaws dropped. The smell was making her sick?

"She told a joke!" Emmett said. "An ASS out of U and ME. Assume! I love it!"

"Ummm, we just let the newborn run off on her own," Rosalie pointed out.

With that we all ran off after Bella's scent. She hadn't gone far, in fact she was standing, casually leaning against a tree just out of the scent range of all the blood.

"So I can't even be a normal vampire?" she asked us all.

"What do you mean, Darling?" I asked her.

"I mean... I never fit in as a human... I thought that maybe I would fit in..." she said.

I wrapped my arms around her.

"Just because you're extraordinary, doesn't mean you don't fit in," I told her. "None of us are normal vampires... and I, for one, am glad that you aren't normal. Normal newborn phase is terrible... If you can miss that..." I said. "Then I am happy for you."

"I know... I just sorta expected...."

"What?" I asked her.

She looked over at the family, obviously not wanting to talk when they were all right there. They all seemed to understand what she wanted too and made quick exits. Once we were alone, I sat down on a large rock and patted the spot next to me. She smiled softly and came and sat next to me.

"So?" I asked her.

"I kind of hoped I wouldn't remember everything," she said.

"What do you mean everything?" I asked her.

"I mean everything. Good, bad, horrible, boring... everything. It's like watching them all on an old TV," she said.

"And that's bad?" I asked.

"Sorta. I just... I just thought that I would forget some of it," I said.

"I can see that. I'm sure it will get easier over time," I said.

"I want to ask you for something... I don't know if it's possible or not... But..." she said, struggling.

"What is it? You know you can ask me anything," I told her.

"I want to go see Charlie," she said.

I was speechless. Did she not remember this? She must have taken my speechlessness as a negative because she immediately started to try to justify.

"It's my last chance. I know he's dead, and I know he's dead because of me. Once the state patrol find his body... I won't have a chance... I just want to say goodbye to my Daddy," she said.

"Oh Honey," I said pulling her to me. "It's not your fault Sweetheart. The only person to blame is Victoria and I promise you that we will make her pay. She won't live much longer."

"How can you promise that?" she asked. "I mean Alice can't see her or else she would have done something... Wouldn't she?"

"You know she would have," I said. "You're right. She is shifty and crafty and has somehow managed to get around our gifts so far... But Sweetheart, we have never actively hunted her. We didn't know that there was a need. But I guarantee she won't live long now. I am sure the Denali's will be willing to help too."

"Who are they?" she asked.

"The Denali's?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said biting her lip.

"They are another coven like us," I said. "Our cousins for all intents and purposes."

"Oh," she said, frowning.

"There is Eleazar and Carmen. They are the parents of the group. You will love them. Then there is Tanya, Kate and Irina. They take some getting used to," I said, thinking of the succubus sisters and their propensity for disliking other females, seeing them as a threat.

"I see," she said.

"Irina is mated with Laurent?" she asked.

"At last we heard... But... the girls have never taken mating seriously before. I'm not sure if it was a serious thing... or just a fling," I said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The girls are succubi," I said. "Do you know what a succubus is?"

"Yeah," she said, looking rather embarrassed. "When I was looking for clues on-line about vampires... I read about them."

"Well most of what is there is true. They used to sleep with human males and then feed from them, but they have since changed to the vegetarian diet and the men they sleep with live to see another day," I explained.

"I see. So they're beautiful?" she asked.

"They are very pretty to look at, but very shallow. Once you get past the pretty exterior there is nothing," I said. "Plus you are far more beautiful then they could ever hope to be."

"Yeah? I think you're biased," she said smiling.

"I may be biased, but so is Edward. Tanya threw herself at him for years and he never even spared her a second glance. You are the only woman who has ever touched his heart," I said, trying to comfort her.

"Tanya wants him?" she asked, alarmed.

"Tanya isn't used to men being able to say no to her. She sees him as a challenge," I said.

"So she still wants him?" she asked, sounding more horrified.

"I guess," I said, trying to tread carefully. Her newborn status was still an unknown to me.

"Maybe he wants her this time," she said, her voice dropping even lower.

"I highly doubt that. He loves you. Besides, the first thing on everyone's plate will be the Laurent and Irina thing," I said.

"If it comes sown to a choice, do you know that they will side with us?" she asked.

"I would bet my life on it. According to Eleazar the family were not very fond of Laurent. Irina swore he would change. Apparently he is supposed to be in Europe wrapping a few things up before rejoining her. Let's just say she is none too pleased that he is here," I told her.

She just nodded her head and we sat in silence for a while.

"Are you ready to try a hunt?" I asked her.

"Do we have to find the others first?" she asked.

"How about this, if we head off to hunt and don't meet up with anyone then we won't tell them. If we do... then I guess we do," I compromised.

"Deal," she said with a grin.

"You lead," I told her.

She simply nodded in agreement and stood up. I watched as she gathered her senses and headed away from the scents of the family. I'll give it to her, the girl was good. She ran fast, but not as fast as before, she seemed to know that I wasn't as fast as she was and she wanted me to keep up. Before long we were deep in the brush and Bella stopped short.

"What?" I asked her.

"What is that smell?" she asked.

"Bear," I said.

"Can I?" she asked.

"Most certainly. It's Emmett's favorite," I said.

"How?" she asked.

"Follow your instincts. You'll get it," I told her.

I watched as she opened her senses and I took to the tree to stay close enough to watch over her, but not too close as to interfere in her hunt.

She was so graceful as she moved through the trees. When her eyes finally met the large black bear's form, she was momentarily taken aback by his size. She stopped and watched as he lumbered through the woods towards her, yet still unaware of her presence. When he got close enough to her to sense he was in danger, he reared up on his hind legs, threw his head back and roared. That was a fatal mistake.

By doing so he exposed his throat perfectly and Bella lunged at the area he exposed, tilting his head to the side and snapping his neck before sinking her teeth into his neck, drinking quickly. I admired the art with which she had fed. Quick, efficient and humane... Qualities that Emmett still lacked.

When she was done, she laid the hulking form of the bear back on the ground and turned to look in my direction.

"So?" I asked her.

She simply grinned and licked her lips, before moving to grab something off her tongue.

"Hair in my mouth," she said with a grin.

"So how did that feel?" I asked her.

"The first part was pure instinct... I didn't think, but as I drank, my mind got a lot clearer and it really felt surreal," she said.

"Surreal?" I asked.

"Well," she said with a grin. "It's not every day that a girl goes from fainting over blood to drinking it!"

"Esme! Bella!" the family yelled as they closed in on us.

I was still up in the tree and Bella jumped up to join me. We stayed absolutely silent in our high perch as they all closed in on our location.

"I smell Bella, but I lost Esme back there somewhere," Emmett said.

"What do you mean lost her?" Carlisle said.

"Her scent just stopped," Emmett said.

"Any other scents?" he asked, worried.

"Nope," Emmett said.

"Seriously? Ever heard of looking up?" I asked, as I jumped down to greet them, not wanting to cause any unnecessary worry.

"How come you guys took off?" Carlisle asked as I appeared at his side. "I thought you were just talking."

"We were, then I decided that Bella really needed to hunt," I said.

"And you didn't call us to join?" he asked.

"Nope," I said. "I decided that if we ran into you we ran into you, but I just let Bella lead and do her thing."

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Up," I replied.

"Why?" he asked.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Bella said, moving to a lower branch, though still more than twenty feet off the ground.

"Jump down, Sis," Emmett said.

"Sure I won't kill myself?" she asked.

"I promise," Emmett said.

Bella shrugged her shoulders and jumped down, landing gracefully at my side.

"Cool," she said.

"So did you find yourself a deer?" Emmett asked, checking his little sister over and seeing that she was still pristine.

"Something like that," Bella said, looking towards the area where she had put the bear.

"Good," Emmett said.

I just smiled at her and shook my head.

"Shall we head back to the house? The Denali's should be there soon," Carlisle said.

"Sounds good to me," Bella said.

"I think I smell a bear. I might hunt before I join you," Emmett said.

Bella grinned sheepishly and ran off towards the house. I giggled and ran after her with Carlisle hot on our heels. We didn't get far when we heard Emmett's loud groan.

"HEY!!! That's not fair!" he said.

Both Bella and I laughed and made our way home. I was surprised we were the first ones there, considering Alice's gifts... But then Alice's gift didn't seem to work where Bella was concerned anymore. Carlisle arrived moments behind us and seemed to be just as surprised as we were that the others weren't there.

Emmett arrived a few moments later.

"A bear, Bella?" he said smirking at her, obviously impressed. "Not kind... Not kind at all."

"Sorry, Em," she said shrugging her shoulders. She wasn't sorry and I knew it, so did Emmett.

"Sorry, my ass!" he said. "You didn't even get dirty! How is that any fun?"

"Dirty? Why would I get dirty?" she asked. The little smirk in the corner of her mouth told me everything I needed to know. She was playing with him.

"You have to knock them around a bit. They taste better when they're angry," he said.

"Really?" she asked. "I thought it was because you couldn't take down a bear without getting dirty. Alice said... Never mind."

"What did Alice say?" Emmett asked.

"Nothing..." she said with a musical sing song voice full in effect.

"Bella!" he warned.

"What Em?" she asked innocently.

"Tell me now... or I'll be forced to kick your ass!" he said, threatening her playfully.

"This little thing here?" she asked, turning around and showing him her butt.

"Tell me, Bella," he growled, stalking across the room towards her.

"Not in the house, Kids!" I said.

Bella dashed out the back door giggling with Emmett hot on her heels. Carlisle, who was on the phone with Rose at this point, hung up quickly and followed them out, anxious to watch what was happening. I was hot on his heels.

"I got twenty that says Emmett pins her in under five," Carlisle said, grinning at me mischievously.

"No way. My money is on Bella all the way. Newborn strength and speed over brute force. Plus she's kinda sneaky," I said.

We shook on it and watched as Emmett circled around Bella. She turned with him every step, keeping her eyes on him, waiting for him to make his move.

"What happened to kicking my ass?" Bella asked sweetly, taunting her big brother.

"I'll get to it, Little Sister," Emmett said.

"All this circling is getting boring," she said. "How about I close my eyes?"

Carlisle grinned at me wickedly, thinking that Emmett definitely had the upper hand now. For some reason, I just trusted Bella.

"Forty," I said.

"Deal," he replied.

We watched as Bella stopped moving with Emmett, dropped her hands and closed her eyes. Emmett circled her once for good measure.

"This hardly seems fair," he said. "You should open your eyes. I don't want you to miss seeing me kick your ass."

"Nope," she said.

"Really, Bella," he said. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't. You are under the misimpression that you are going to get your hands on me," she said smirking.

"I will," he promised. "There will be a Bella sized crater out here when I'm done."

"All talk and no action Emmie?" she said, cooing at him as though he were a baby. "You're not scared of me, are you?"

Emmett's answering growl was enough of a response and she giggled loudly.

"I'm not scared of someone who tripped on air less than 48 hours ago," he growled.

"Suit yourself," she said, standing there calmly.

Alice and Jasper came out of the woods and Alice looked over at us, confused as to what is going on.

"Just a minute, Pix," Emmett said. "I am about to kick our new sister's ass."

"All this talk and he has yet to do it," Bella said confidently.

"So what's the bet?" Jasper asked.

"I have forty on Emmett, Esme has her money on Bella," Carlisle said.

"Hey!" Alice squealed, jumping up and down. "I can bet on this one."

"And this is new because?" Bella asked from her spot, eyes still closed.

"I can usually see the outcome so they don't let me play," she said pouting.

"So who you putting the money on Pix?" Emmett said, smirking wildly.

"I gotta go with the sister on this," Alice said. "Fifty on Bella."

"I'll take Emmett," Jasper said confidently.

"That's my brother!" Emmett said, boasting wildly. "Don't worry Bro... I got you covered."

"Awfully big talk for a guy who has spent the last three minutes circling me," Bella said.

"Don't worry, Princess. I'll go easy on you," he said.

"Go Bella!" Alice squealed.

Emmett stopped circling, liking his position directly behind Bella. He didn't so much as breath before he launched himself at her. The loud cracking noise sent a shock wave out that knocked all four of us on our asses and I quickly stood up to see what had happened.

Bella stood in the middle of the yard, as though nothing had happened, her eyes wide open and a shocked expression on her face.

"Where's Emmett?" Jasper asked, surveying the immediate area.

"What the hell was that?" Emmett asked, walking out of the forest.

Bella grinned sheepishly.

"How?" he asked, too stunned to get anymore words out. I don't think anyone else could have said anything either.

"No clue. It just felt right," Bella said with a grin.

We were still dumbstruck as to what had just happened. How did Emmett get from attacking Bella to forty feet away in the forest, without any of us seeing anything?

"Can I try it again?" Emmett asked her.

"Be my guest," Bella said.

"Hold on!" Carlisle said, finally finding his tongue. "What just happened?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders, looking at him. "Don't ask me. I had my eyes closed," she said.

"Emmett?" Carlisle asked.

"I launched myself at her and the next thing I know I hit an invisible brick wall and landed thirty feet into the trees," Emmett said. "She didn't even move!"

"A physical shield too," Carlisle gasped.

"What?" Bella asked.

"I don't think this has ever been seen before... I need to talk to Eleazar," he said, turning and walking into the house.

"Did I do something wrong?" Bella asked, looking at me in horror.

"No, Darling," I said rushing over to her and putting my arms around her. "I think your gift has confounded him a little that's all."

"umm, Emmett... Can we do this later?" Bella asked.

"Sure thing, Sis," he grinned. "As long as you promise."

"I do," she said.

"You're saying that to the wrong brother," he said with a grin.

"Emmett!" I said, smacking him on the head.

"What?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head. "It's true!"

Edward and Rosalie raced into the yard just as Emmett wrapped his arm around Bella, on the opposite side of me.

"What the hell?" Edward asked, looking at Emmet in shock, then he turned his glare on me.

"You let her hunt a bear?" he asked me, in horror.

"Let her?" Bella said, turning to face him.

"No one needs to LET me do anything!" she said.

He just looked at her in shock. Bella had never truly stood up to him as a human and he wasn't expecting it now.

"What?" she asked. "Nothing to say?"

"I didn't mean it like that," he said back peddling on his words. "I'm just not used to thinking of you as indestructible. Old habits and all that."

He thought those words would sooth her.

He was wrong.

"When is this over protective shit going to end?" she said, glaring at him.

"Bella, I..." he started to say.

"Bella nothing!" she raged. "Stop treating me like I'm an object and start treating me like I'm a person, and then we'll talk, Edward!"

She turned and stormed into the house, muttering obscenities under her breath... that all of us heard loud and clear.

Edward seemed to be dumbstruck as he stood in the center of the yard, reaching out towards where Bella raced off.

"You certainly aren't doing a very good job of kissing up, Eddie," Rose said as she walked by him into the house.

"Edward, if you don't smarten up and fast she's never going to forgive you," Alice hissed as she too walked inside.

"And she can do it too. Look what happened to Emmett! He got his ass handed to him and she didn't even break a sweat," Jasper said, following his wife.

"I can't help it if everyone in this family cheats!" Emmett whined, following the others into the house. "Rosie, Baby... I need you to help me feel better."

"Fat chance!" Rose said from somewhere in the house.

I looked at my first son, who was now a still life statue in my yard.

"Want to talk about it?" I asked him, extending an olive branch his way.

"How did I fuck this up so badly?" he said.

"I get it," I told him, rubbing his shoulder and pulling him into a half hug. "She was a magnet for danger as a human and you got it in your head that you needed to protect her. But, Honey, you forgot to respect her in the process."

"What?" he asked, looking at me confused.

"How do you show respect for people?" I asked him.

"Mom," he said, almost whining.

I glared at him, showing him that I was dead serious about this question.

"With your actions," he replied almost sullenly.

"Elaborate," I said.

"Opening doors for people, using your manners, watching your language, listening to them and..." he said, his eyes opening wide.

"And?" I asked.

"Showing them that their opinions matter... Oh God! What have I done?" he asked, more to himself than anything.

"So now you know," I said, looking at him sadly.

"I do... But how do I fix it?" he asked, looking at me plaintively.

"You need to figure that out on your own," I said. "Now Bella has had a monumental day and I am going to go and talk to her and make sure she is okay. Are you going to be okay?"

"Go to her," he said. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry. I love her so much and I got carried away."

"I know," I said, giving him a full hug and holding him tight to me. I had already kicked his ass both literally and figuratively. He got it now. He truly did.

But was it too late for Bella?


	13. Chapter 13

I left Edward standing on the lawn and went inside in search of Isabella. I expected her to have sequestered herself in one of the bedrooms, alone, but was surprised to see her in the living room with Rosalie of all people.

Bella was sitting on the couch just staring out the window, and Rosalie was standing close to her, but the two weren't talking.

"Hey," I said as I came in, smiling at both girls. "That was some neat trick you pulled out there, Bella."

"Emmett didn't seem to mind it either," Rosalie added with a half smile.

Was she trying to be nice? With Rose you can never be certain, and with her history with Bella I was on my guard... not that Bella would need it.

She made no move to acknowledge that either of us had spoken.

"Bella," I said, moving to squat in front of her so I could look her in the eyes. "Talk to me, Sweetheart. Let me in."

Nothing.

I looked at Rose and saw her temper starting to flare. This was not good. I looked at her and shook my head, begging her silently to leave this alone.

"Look Bella. I know Edward is a dumbass but he does love you and you love him so just build a bridge and get over it already. You got what you wanted," Rosalie said, getting right to the point as is her trademark.

"Look Rosalie," Bella seethed. "I appreciate you setting the facts before me but excuse me if I don't feel like listening to you right now!"

"If you wanted to be alone, you should have gone somewhere secluded, instead of sitting in the middle of the living room. Common area, Duh!!" Rosalie bitched back.

"And where do you think I should go Ice Queen?" Bella sneered at her, standing up and facing her. The look of disdain that Bella gave her would have scared lesser individuals, but Rosalie wasn't affected at all.

"Anywhere," Rosalie said, motioning around. "I'm not avoiding the living room because you want to sulk about how tough your life is."

"As you may or may not have noticed I don't have anywhere else to go. You all have your own rooms. This is YOUR house! The guest room, that I though I was using, was occupied with Carlisle on the phone and I can't exactly leave the house. Not that I have anywhere else to go," Bella seethed. "You, on the other hand, do. And I wish you would go there!"

Rosalie was shocked. Nobody spoke to her this way, except for Edward or Alice, and only on extremely rare occasions.

"When did you become such a vicious bitch?" Rosalie asked.

"Hmmm, I don't know..." Bella deadpanned. "Maybe it was when the guy I loved more than anything in this world shattered my heart into a million pieces. Or maybe when the family I loved as my own up and left without so much as a goodbye. Or possibly it was when my father was taken by some psychopathic maniac who has some kind of grudge against me, only to be tortured and killed, just for the fun of it. And maybe, just maybe, Rosalie Hale, it was because I have been nothing but kind and respectful to you and yet you still insist on treating my like trash. Maybe I decided to stop being your fucking doormat and give as good as I get!"

"Look CinderBella. I don't like you. I don't have to. You had everything and you were willing to trade it all in to become a monster. You fucking had a chance to have everything I didn't, and yet you gave it up for my whiney ass brother," she said.

"What did I have that you wanted? A dad that would rather work or fish than spend time with me? A mother that I had to raise because she certainly couldn't do it herself? Friends? A promising future in some awesome career? What? Tell me what I had that was so fucking great!" Bella yelled.

"A future! You weren't stuck in some bloody time warp, doomed to repeat high school over and over again, unable to make your own choices. Doomed to pretend that the man you have been married to for more than seventy years is anything more than your boyfriend. You could have had it all, a life, a job, a husband, a house and 2.5 children!" Rosalie screeched.

"Children? Is that what this is about?" Bella asked. "What if I never wanted children?"

"And how can you decide that now? You are eighteen years old. Things change!" she said.

"Look, Rosalie. I have never been big on kids. I had to raise my bloody parents so I was in no hurry for that experience... Not like being changed would make any difference anyways," Bella said.

I wanted to step in, really I did, but this needed to happen for the girls to get past this and onto the business of being family. As much as I hated there to be any discord in the family, I knew that sometimes grievances needed to be aired in order to get past them.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rosalie said. "Being a monster changes everything!"

"Not for me," Bella said glaring at Rosalie.

"Why not?" Rose asked. "You know some miraculous way for a vamp to get pregnant?"

"No! But I have known since I was thirteen years old that it was never possible for me to have children. So now what do you have to say?? Honestly, the only difference between me and you was that I would get wrinkles, grey hair and my body parts would eventually move south while you got to stay perfect!" Bella seethed.

"Look Bella," Rose said.

"No you look! I am sick and tired off all this shit! Why the hell should I have to explain anything to you when you so obviously hate me?" Bella said, glaring at Rose. I think I even saw Rose step back for a minute.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Rose asked, snotty as all hell, treating Bella like she had owed it to Rose to share any information.

"First off, you never even spoke to me so when was I supposed to say anything? Second, yeah, like it's just a topic of conversation that comes up every day. Hi, nice to meet you, my name is Bella and thanks to a freak accident when I was thirteen years old, I can't have kids," Bella said glaring at her. "Do none of you know anything about human female's reproduction? Hello it's called a period and in all the time I was with Edward I never got one. I figured you guys would have figured that out being blood drinkers and all."

"It was important and you kept it to yourself," Rose said crossing her arms, acting all high and mighty.

"Important to who?" Bella asked. "You? Why the hell would my fertility or lack there of matter to you? Gee she couldn't have kids anyway so maybe I'll let up and treat her like a normal person rather that dog shit?"

"I don't like working without all the information," Rosalie said.

"So ask! Just fucking ask!! I just hate all this high and mighty crap," Bella said.

"So now you're saying you're better than me?" Rosalie sneered.

"Have you ever realized that it isn't all about you?" Bella asked. "Maybe if you took your pretty blonde head out of your ass long enough to look around, you wouldn't be such a self righteous bitch!"

"How dare you!" Rosalie seethed.

"What, how dare I have an opinion that differs from yours? How dare I call things as I see them?" Bella asked. "You can sure dish it out, Rosalie, but now you know what it feels like to be on the receiving end."

"At least I know my place. Unlike you. You weren't invited to be a part of my family. I never wanted you here in the first place!" Rosalie seethed, stepping WAY over the line.

"I feel so sorry for you. I really do. With you in this family... I really don't know why the fuck I ever wanted to be a part of it!" Bella screamed. "You are beautiful but you are so shallow. I truly pity you."

Bella took off out the front door leaving a very speechless Rosalie standing in her wake.

"Rosalie!" I admonished. "Seriously! You crossed a line today and I have never been more disappointed in you! Now I'm going out to look for her and you better pray to God I find her because if anything happens to her..."

I shook my head and made my way out the door to chase after Bella. She was still a newborn and it went against our every promise to the wolves to leave her alone.

Alice was at my side, her eyes wide in horror as she understood the situation around her. Bella was alone and hurt, scared by Rose's words and Edward's actions.

"I'm going after her, Alice. Gather Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper and yourself and head out. We need to find her as soon as possible," I told her.

She nodded. "What about Rose and Edward?" Alice asked.

"I have a feeling that they both would be less than helpful trying to get her back here in her current state of mind," I said.

Alice just nodded and I headed out the door, following Bella's scent. Rosalie stood in the living room, completely shell shocked by what had just occurred. I'm sure that by telling Alice she wasn't welcome to help made it worse, but I couldn't find it in me to care. I dashed down the stairs, following her scent. It led towards the large open field in front of our house and I headed that way. Once I reached the middle of the field, like magic, Bella's scent just disappeared.

I stared around in complete shock. The trees were too far away for her to have jumped into them and there was not even a hint of her scent on the wind. It was like she completely vanished.

"Carlisle!" I yelled, certainly louder than I needed too, but I was so scared I couldn't have done anything but. "Carlisle, come quick!"

I should have known that the panicked tone of my voice would have brought them all running. Within seconds the entire family was in the field with me.

"What is it?" he asked, sending a death glare at Rosalie and Edward.

"She's gone! She simply vanished," I said. "I tracked her scent here and it just stopped."

"That's not possible," Jasper said.

"Then you explain it!" I snapped. "We have promised the wolves not to leave her on her own and now she's out there somewhere alone. And Victoria and Laurent are somewhere near by."

"How could you let this happen?" Carlisle seethed, looking at all of us.

Everyone was agitated and unsure of how to respond. He was blaming us all, yet taking none of the blame on himself.

"You!" he said, pointing to Edward. "Could you not go ten minutes without pissing off the newborn?"

"I'm sorry. This is all new to me. I messed up and I'm sorry," Edward said, obviously concerned.

"And Rosalie," Carlisle seethed. "What the hell was the confrontation in the front room? How could you do that to anyone, Rose? Have we taught you nothing? After everything she has been through you decided that now was the time to confront her? You have a brain, use it!"

"And you?" I seethed, adding to the mix and pointing at a very shocked Carlisle. "Seriously the poor girl was confused and asking questions and you ran away from her like she was some sort of pariah. Then the one place that she had to call her own in the whole world, after everything she had gone through and you usurped it for some damn phone call! There are twenty-seven other rooms in the house!"

He looked at me, his eyes wide in shock as he looked at his own actions from a different light.

"Now, it is not the time to play some stupid blame game. It is the time to split up and find her... and not piss her off anymore until you get her home!" I said.

"Yes, Mom," the kids all answered.

"Edward, you are with Carlisle. Hopefully he can keep you from putting your foot any father into your mouth than it already is," I ordered. "Head towards LaPush and if you need to talk to the wolves emphasize her aversion to human blood. It will buy us time, at the very least."

"Emmett, you take Rose and search the woods. And for God's sake, if you find her, make Rose keep her mouth shut by any means necessary," I told my hulking son.

"Alice, Jasper... You two go check out all the places that Bella frequented as a human. Her old house, the school and anywhere else you can think that she might go," I ordered.

"Call if you catch her scent or have any clues. I'll stay close to home so that if she returns on her own we are aware of it," I said.

I searched my memory for any thought of where Bella would go. First Beach?? She knew we were forbidden from crossing onto Quilieute land.. But had everything been too much and she was provoking the wolves to end her life? I couldn't believe that, but where else would she go?

Suddenly, it hit me. I knew where she was. I picked up my cell phone to call the others, but decided against it at the last minute. I knew in my gut I needed to find her on my own.

I took to the woods quickly and raced along silently as close to the road as I could without risking being seen. I prayed the whole way that I was right, but worried that I was too. How would this affect Bella? Especially considering her already fragile emotional state due to the turmoil caused by Edward, and especially Rosalie.

I opened my senses wide, hoping to find any trace of her, but I got nothing. Is it possible that this was yet another product of her shield?

As I approached the site where Alice said the accident occurred, I smelt the blood in the air. It was no longer fresh, but it was very strong. As the wreckage came into sight, I caught sight of her hair billowing in the breeze as she sat next to the car. When I got closer I noticed she had her hand in the shattered window and she was holding her father's hand.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy," she sobbed, paying no attention at all to me. I wanted to comfort her but didn't know if it would be intruding or not to do so. The heartbroken look on her face convinced

I didn't say a word, I simply moved to sit beside her as she spoke to her father, saying her final goodbyes, I guess. I silently admonished myself for letting this slip. I should have taken her here. She shouldn't have had to come alone.

"You were such a good Dad. I just never realized it until now. I remember when I was five and Renee made me take those ridiculous dance classes... You flew all the way to Phoenix to see my recital. I fell down twice and you still told me that I was the best dancer there. How you were able to say that with a straight face I'll never know but you did... and I believed you because you were my Daddy. When my school was doing something special for father's day when I was seven... I tried to invite you but I knew you were so far away. I called and you told me about an important meeting you had to be at and that you might be the next Chief of police. I couldn't even tell you about it, Daddy, because I didn't want you to miss the meeting. I knew that I would be the only child in my class without their dad there, but that was okay because you had an important meeting. I don't know how you knew, because I know Renee didn't tell you. She came to the school so I would have a parent there, but then you came in the door, Daddy... I was so happy. My daddy was there and I was so proud. I still don't know where you were or how you made it but I remember that you still had your police uniform on. All the boys thought you were cool and the girls said you were handsome. You let me wear your Police Chief badge that day and everyone in my class thought it was the greatest thing. They talked about that for two whole years... And I remembered it Daddy, because you were there for me when I needed you."

"And I wasn't there when you needed me. I was so spoiled and selfish and now you're dead and I can't fix it," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry I never took the time to see... When I came to Forks, I thought of it as a punishment, and I'm so sorry for that Daddy. I thought that Renee and Phil would be better off without me and that I would suffer through my time here and then leave. But I didn't see that you were so excited to have me here. I was so concerned with everybody looking at me and I never even thought to ask why they knew so much about me. I never really realized that you had been so excited that you spread the news around... I never even thanked you for allowing me to come."

She moved her hand though the open window, carefully touching her father's hair.

"You were always there when I needed you, Daddy. You held me when I was scared, squeezed my hand when I needed to be strong and kissed all my scrapes and bruises... And there were a lot of scrapes and bruises. When I had that operation and was scared afterwards, you were the one that helped me. You made it all better, Daddy. Renee cried and talked about never being able to have grand-babies but you told me that I could do whatever I wanted and that my life was not ruled by what I could not do, but by what I could do. You told me that if I wanted to be a mom that you would help me find a way. And you came to Phoenix after I had been so mean to you when I ran away. I love you, Daddy."

She moved again, just slightly, so she could see her father's face through the crumpled wreck.

"Oh, Daddy," she sobbed tearlessly. "I never wanted you to get hurt. I would have stayed. If I was here she would have taken me and left you alone and you would have been okay Daddy. Is she why you sent me away Daddy? Did you know she was dangerous or did you just want time alone? I wish you could answer me... I wish you were still here to tell me."

She moved back so she could hold her father's lifeless hand again.

"I need you Daddy. I need you to tell me that everything is going to be okay. I need you to hold my hand," she said, holding his hand almost willing him to move and squeeze her hand, anything... but there was nothing.

I knew I should call the family and let them know that I had found her, but instead I pulled her into my arms and cradled her to my chest.

"He can't do that anymore, Honey," I told her. "It wasn't your fault. You know that. Nobody knew that she was around. Nobody knew that she was after you or Charlie. I wish we could change it, but we can't and the only thing we can do is go on."

"I can't. Everything is so messed up and I can't fix it," she said.

"Nothing is so broken that it can't be repaired," I told her. "We will help you. We all will. Please give us the chance."

"I don't know how. I just want to stop hurting. I want to go back to before my birthday when everything was perfect," she said.

"I wish we could turn back time... But we can't and I can only help you to go on from here. We will get past this. It isn't always going to hurt this way," I told my girl.

"Why did she have to take him? What did he ever do to deserve that?" she asked, sobbing softly.

"Honey, I wish there was a way for us to stop all the evil people in the world. I wish I could turn back time and undo what has been done... But I can't do either and I hate that. All I can do is promise you that I will be here for you for as long as you need me," I promised.

"How can you know that?" she asked. "How do you know that Victoria won't hurt you too?"

"I have faith. I know that when my family stands together, nothing can go wrong," she said.

"How can we stand together? Rosalie hates me. Edward and I can't be in the same area without me losing my cool. How can that work?" she asked.

"Bella... I heard everything you said to Charlie and all the guilt that you carry. I will guarantee you this. If Charlie knew that by his death he had a chance to save you... he would have chosen to die a hundred times. And when he told you that you were the best dancer he didn't lie. To him you were. You were his little girl and he knew and loved every klutzy inch of you. He would have known that it took so much more courage than every other dancer for you to even stand on that stage and he loved you for it. As for how he knew to come? I bet he heard something in your voice that let him know that you needed him and he tried to guess what it was. Maybe he called the school. And Honey, he knew you loved him. I knew it. You didn't say it and neither did he, but that was just the way he was. He was happy that even though you only came here because you felt like you had to, he was so happy to get that chance. Honestly, pone day, when we are long past this and you and Edward work everything out... wether it means you are friends, siblings or more, ask him. He heard a lot of Charlie's thoughts. Ask Jasper about his feelings because I will guarantee you Honey that he was happier in the time he had here with you than he was before," I said.

"Why did he have to die?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said, just holding her.

We sat together for a few moments before a small chirp was heard from in the car.

"Dad's cell," Bella said.

I leaned in and followed the noise of the small piece of technology.

"You keep it. Anything else would look weird missing, but nobody would miss this," I said, knowing that the small phone did not have a tracking device.

She held the phone tight and leaned into the mangled car, pressing her lips to her father's forehead.

"Are you ready to head back?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she said. "I needed to take care of this before anything else."

I nodded and smiled at her. She held her father's hand, gently rubbing the skin there as I picked up my cell phone and dialed Carlisle to inform him that I found Bella and that we would meet everyone back at the house soon. He agreed to call Emmett and Alice to let them know.

I stood up and smiled at her. "I'll go wait over here so you can have a moment," I told her.

She nodded in agreement and then looked at her father.

"Goodbye, Daddy," she said softly. "I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always... As long as I'm living my daddy you'll be..."

She kissed his cheek once more before turning from the wreckage and joining me. I held her hand and we ran slowly back towards the house. I could feel her apprehension about all that was to come, but I didn't have the words to make it better so I just held on to her hand, and showed her what words couldn't.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Next chapter is here already! All your great reviews have inspired me. At the rate I'm going you'll see another this week. And for those of you who read SEARCHING... that one will be updated later tonight or first thing tomorrow depending on my ear surgeon appointment today! INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE will be out this week too!! So for now, enjoy A MOTHER'S CHOICE!

As we reached the field that was in front of the house, the sun was rising, and I knew that the Denali's would be here soon, if they weren't already.

Bella paused before stepping into the field, sensing that as soon as we did the rest of the family would be right there.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"Not ready for the onslaught," she replied.

"They love you," I told her.

"I'm sure Rose thinks I'm just the cat's pyjamas," she said sarcastically.

"Maybe not. But she will get over it and respect you for it... in the long run," I said.

"Right," she snorted.

"You may not believe me, and in fact I am sure that you don't, but Rose does love you. If she didn't, she wouldn't have bothered trying to interfere. Yeah, she was jealous of something she assumed you had... And you're right about mistakes that the whole family made," I said.

"The assuming?" she asked.

"Precisely. They have gotten so sure of their superiority that they forgot humility and respect. Even with you. And with this new gift of yours, Alice is finally going to have to deal with the fact that she is not omnipotent. A very valuable lesson for her," I told her.

"And Edward?" she asked, wincing slightly as she said his name.

"Same thing. He really has gotten the short end of the stick in many ways," I said.

"How so?" Bella asked.

"I can almost understand why he makes the assumptions he does... Not that I think he is right in doing so but I just get it," I said.

She looked at me incredulously, eyebrows raised and arms crossed.

"He has spent ninety years listening to other people thoughts. The fickle thoughts that run through a high school student's mind are his constant companion. They fall in and out of love as often as they change their underwear," I explained.

"But how could he think that about me?" she asked. "How could he so easily throw away what we had?"

"I can't answer that fully, but I can tell you it was far from easy for him. He somehow managed to convince himself that he was doing it for you, and as much as I tried to convince him that he was wrong..." I explained.

"Okay," she interrupted. "But what about the others?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper... Alice?" she said. "How could they have left so easily?"

"Carlisle convinced himself that he was doing what was right for Edward. Jasper listened to Alice, who simply had more information than the rest of us. She knew what would happen if she stayed and that was the complete destruction of our entire family," I explained.

"So I had the power to destroy the family?" she asked.

"We haven't survived together for more than fifty years without sacrifices and compromises... But when Edward met you it was the first time anyone had to sacrifice or compromise for him. When he saved you from that van, exposing us for what we were it was a very stressful time. I hadn't met you yet and Edward was still discovering his feelings for you himself. You posed such a risk to this family that elimination was considered," I divulged.

"So I was nearly dead twice that day?" she asked.

"Jasper and Rose both saw you as a threat to all of our secrecy and security. It was a tough transition... but when Alice saw that he was in love with you..." I said.

"That he was or would be?" she asked.

"Would be and already was. It actually shocked him," I said, giggling a little.

She got very quiet and took a deep breath and sighed.

"I love him... But I am so angry," she said. "I don't know how to deal with it."

"You have to talk to him. Really talk. Don't expect that everything will work out all at once... or even at all. It is possible that he did irreparable damage to your relationship by his actions. That is something that you will both have to deal with if that is the case... But for the sake of this family, I need you guys to make peace with each other. We have some difficult days coming up and you need to at least be able to be in the same place without the distraction of your ongoing dispute. Once he has said his piece and you have said yours, we need to get back to the business of being a family," I said.

"I know," she said dropping her head a bit.

"Oh, my darling girl," I said to her, pulling her into a hug. "You have dealt with so much in such a short amount of time. I am so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom," she said, leaning against me. "I guess we need to get back."

"We do. The Denali's car has just pulled up and as much as I like them, I do not like them near Carlisle without being there myself. Not that I don't trust him, it's them I don't trust," I told her.

"If they know what's good for them, they will keep their hands to themselves!" Bella growled. I could almost see a shimmer around her as she got aggravated but I attributed it to the sunlight that was just peeking through the clouds.

We walked a little quicker across the field. The sun was just rising and it caught Isabella's skin for the first time. She stopped and looked down at her arm for a moment before continuing while shaking her head.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I knew that this was going to happen but it's still weird, you know?" she said.

"I agree. I still look at you and see my favorite little human. It takes some getting used to," I said smiling at her.

It was almost shocking to me that we made it to the front door without the family coming out to meet us. I guess they were a little preoccupied with the arrival of the Denali clan. That thought made me move just that much quicker. As I threw open the front door, I was met with eleven pairs of shocked eyes.

"How did you do that?" Carlisle asked, looking at Bella and I.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"We've been waiting for you. How did you get here without us sensing you?" he asked.

"We simply waled across the field and up to the door. What seems to be the problem with that?" I asked.

"Did you sense anything Eleazar?" Carlisle asked our guest, seeming to completely ignore my question.

"Nothing," Eleazar said.

"What are you all going on about now?" Bella asked, frustration evident in her voice. "These silent conversations are a lot harder to take now that I'm not human."

"Sorry, Bella," Carlisle said. "It's just that we were waiting for you. We listened for any sound and waited for any scent and there was nothing... from either of you."

"How is that even possible, Carlisle?" I asked him. "You should have heard us from at least mid way through the field... and smelled us from there too."

"I'm afraid I don't know," Carlisle said.

"Can you smell us now?" I asked.

"No," he said. "If I didn't see you I wouldn't know you were here."

We were all silent for a while. Bella looked at Carlisle, ignoring everyone else in the room.

"So are you going to introduce us to your new sister Eddie?" Tanya asked, moving to Edward's side and running her hand up his arm seductively.

"Tanya," Edward growled, moving his arm from her grasp.

"Why do you keep fighting it Edward? We all know you want to..." she said.

I could feel Bella's anger peak and the next thing I knew it felt like a shock wave went through me. I looked at her in shock and then around the room. The furniture was destroyed and everyone had been thrown back from their original place. Most were on their asses on the floor or leaning against a wall.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Me, I think," Bella said calmly from my side. Everyone started to move and get up, all staring at Bella, who seemed to almost shrink behind me.

"Eddie can you help me up?" Tanya asked.

"You can get yourself up, Tanya," Rosalie said. "I have no desire to land on my ass again so I suggest you keep you hands off Edward."

"Why? Does the newborn have some claim on him?" Tanya asked getting herself up.

"Yes," Edward said. "Whether she wants me or not, I am hers. Permanently, unbreakably hers."

"Oh," Tanya said, stepping away from Edward slightly. I guess she sensed that Bella was probably not someone she wanted to piss off.

Bella, for her part, raised her head and stared at Edward and smiled softly at him.

"So many questions," Eleazar said. "But maybe we should get the formal introductions out of the way first."

"Yes," Carlisle said. "How rude of me."

The Denali's all moved close to Eleazar as Carlisle stepped towards Bella and I. Rose, Emmett, Jasper and Alice started to move around the area, righting the furniture that was not destroyed and piling the things that were in one corner. Edward just stood back and watched, probably worried about what the Denali sisters might try to pull on Bella. I know I was.

"Bella," Carlisle said. "I would like to introduce you to some very old and dear friends. This is Eleazar. Eleazar is a very gifted man and will hopefully be able to tell us all about your gifts."

"Eleazar, it's a pleasure to meet you," Bella said rather formally, holding her hand out to greet him.

Eleazar, probably anxious to figure out all of Bella's gifts, grasped her hand and held it instead of shaking it, causing Bella to lean away from him.

"It's okay," I told her, trying to reassure her about Eleazar's strange behavior.

She stood there letting Eleazar hold her hand for a few moments before Carmen cleared her throat.

"I'd like to greet this young lady now," she told her husband.

"Of course, my dear," he said to her, dropping Bella's hand. "Bella, this is my beautiful wife, Carmen."

"It's a pleasure Carmen," Bella said smiling softly. I think it was impossible to hate Carmen. The woman exuded peace and warmth.

"Bella, Darling. It is nice to meet you, Querida," Carmen said reverting to her native spanish as she always did when she was comfortable with someone.

"And you as well, Carmen," Bella said, smiling genuinely.

"Bella," Carlisle said, drawing Bella's attention from Carmen towards the three succubi. "These young ladies are Tanya, Kate and Irina."

"Oh stop, Carlisle," Kate said. "We are older than you by almost a millennia."

"I'm Tanya," Tanya said, sweeping forward to hold her hand out to Bella.

"Tanya," Bella nodded, not extending her hand to the first girl. The glare in Tanya's eyes let me know that this had not gone unnoticed by her.

"I'm Irina," Irina said, coming forward to Bella next. Bella took her outstretched hand and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Irina," she said formally.

"A pleasure," Irina said.

Kate had a mischievous look in her eyes as she reached out to shake Bella's hand and I was just about to reach over to stop her when she grasped Bella's hand firmly, almost glaring at her.

Edward growled and made his way across the room, but was stopped by Eleazar.

"Kate," Bella said, looking at the girl who was just grasping her hand.

Kate said nothing, and moved to stand next to Tanya, scowling contemptuously at Bella.

"Kate!" Edward said, growling at her.

"It's not like it did anything," Kate said defiantly.

"You will not attack a member of my family in my home!" Carlisle said, understanding the situation completely.

"My apologies," Kate said bitterly looking over at Bella.

"Explain," Bella sighed, looking towards Carlisle, Edward and Eleazar.

"Kate has a gift as well. She can send painful shock waves through her hand to whomever is touching her... Except for you apparently," Carlisle said, glaring at Kate. "She decided that it would be a good idea to try to drop you to the ground."

"Just trying to remind her of her place," Kate said.

"I guess that backfired on you, didn't it?" Rosalie said, putting herself directly in front of her.

Bella, simply looked confused as to why Rosalie seemed to be defending her.

Kate said nothing and moved towards Irina and away from Rosalie. Gift or not, she did not want to mess with Rose.

"So, Eleazar," Carlisle said. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, what can you tell us?"

"Honestly?" Eleazar said. "Nothing. I can surmise certain things, but nothing more than you have already deduced."

"So she is a shield?" Carlisle asked.

"A very powerful one from the look and sounds of things. Both mental and physical... very impressive," he said.

"And the rest?" Carlisle asked again.

"I can see nothing. She completely blocks my gift as well as everyone else's," he said shaking his hand.

"But she can go so far as to block her scent?" Carlisle asked.

"So it seems," Eleazar confirmed.

"But why can't we sense Esme's scent either?" Carlisle asked.

"It appears that she can project upon others," he said.

"And the blast that sent us all flying? I told you about her battle with Emmett... What do you think that is?" Carlisle asked.

"A manifestation of the shield," Eleazar said. "I would guess anyways."

"Wow," Carlisle said.

"You will need to keep her away from Aro... If he knew about her..." Eleazar said.

"Who is Aro?" Bella asked. "And what does he have to do with me?"

"Aro is part of the Volturi," Edward said. "A king of sorts."

"At least that's how he fancies himself," Irina said softly.

"Agreed," Edward said.

"Oh," Bella said. "And why do I need to stay away from him?"

"He is a collector of sorts. He likes to have vampires with special talents... and you, my dear, are very special. You would be the crown jewel of his collection," Eleazar said.

"I do not wish to be a part of some collection," Bella said.

"Which is why it is safest to keep you as far from the Volturi as possible," Eleazar said.

"I see," Bella said.

"So what of Laurent?" Irina asked, directing the question towards me.

"He was here just the other day. In Bella's house, making threats on behalf of Victoria," I said.

"How does she still maintain such a hold on him?" Irina fumed.

"I don't know," Eleazar said.

"Is she gifted?" she asked, no one in particular.

"Not that we saw," Carlisle said. "She is very cunning though."

"So what do we do?" Jasper asked. "We need to devise a plan here on how to deal with this situation."

"That we do," Eleazar said. "First, Irina, I know this will be most difficult for you. If it comes down to it and Laurent stands with Victoria... What will you do?"

"Rip him limb from limb and light every little chunk of him on fire bit by bit leaving his head for last so he has to watch it all," she said viciously.

Bella's eyes were wide and she shook her head gently before we got back to the task at hand.

"Let's all go sit in the dining room," Carlisle said. "there is enough room for all of us there."

He led the way and put himself in his traditional place at the head of the table. Eleazar moved to the opposite end. I sat at Carlisle's right as it was my traditional position and I noticed Carmen do the same on the opposite end. Bella sat next to me cautiously when I motioned for her to do so. Edward sat on Carlisle's left, followed by Jasper, and Alice. Tanya sat on Eleazar's left followed by Irina and Kate. Emmett sat down next to Alice, expecting Rose to sit next to him. Rose moved away from the empty seat next to Emmett, to the soul seat between Kate and Bella, sneering at Kate and smiling slightly at Bella.

I smiled softly to myself, knowing that she did this to protect Bella from Kate. Not that Kate would or could hurt her but she was going to be sure of it. Bella may not have known it yet but she had a new ally in Rose. She had stood her ground and given as good as she got and in doing so, she earned Rose's respect.

"What do we know so far?" Eleazar asked.

"Victoria has taken out Bella's human father, killing him for sport not food," Carlisle said looking at Bella.

Bella winced slightly as he said it but otherwise showed no emotion.

"With Laurent's threats, we know this is coming," Carlisle said.

"She has to have something up her sleeve," Carmen said softly. "She had to know that the Cullens would all come together to protect Bella. So she would not fight with just Laurent. She has to have found more allies... and Laurent may be a lot of things, but he is not a stupid man and he would not allow himself to be at a disadvantage no matter what."

"I agree," said Eleazar. "There would have to be something that would make him feel he had the advantage in order to ally himself with her."

"But what would he have to gain in joining her?" Irina asked.

"I don't know," Carlisle said and that's what bothers me the most.

The discussion went back and forth for near an hour with everyone having an opinion. Unfortunately, none of us were any closer to an answer than we were when we sat down. Neither Edward nor Bella had much to offer during the conversation, but the eye contact exchanged between the two spoke volumes. Once the conversation dies down with everyone agreeing to look into different things, the group broke up.

"I think we should hunt," Eleazar said to his family. "We do not know when the battle comes to us and I want us all ready for anything."

"Agreed," Kate said.

"I just hunted before we left," Tanya said. "A nice big grizzly, so I am good."

"There are limitations here, remember Brother," Carlisle said.

"Yes, the wolves," Eleazar said. "Are they still in existence?"

"Yes. The treaty lines are well marked. As well we do not hunt wolves here out of respect, so I would appreciate if you would do the same," Carlisle said.

"Agreed," Eleazar said rising from the table.

"I am going to the music room," Edward said.

"Rose and I have hunted, but Jazz, Ali... You should get some eats in ya," Emmett said.

"We will," Jasper said, grabbing Alice's hand.

"We should too," Carlisle said to me. "Bella would you like to join us?"

"I couldn't eat if I tried," Bella squeaked.

"Really?" Eleazar said. "I've never seen a newborn turn food down."

"As I said, she is unlike anything we have ever seen," Carlisle said smiling at Bella with fatherly pride.

"Bella?" I asked.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Will you be okay here with Tanya, Rose, Emmett, and Edward?" I asked.

"I'll be fine. I have some things I need to take care of," she said with a small smile.

"Alright then," I said. "I will see you when we get back. We shouldn't be long and we won't be far."

"Thank you," she said.

As I walked away from Bella for the first time since I had found her next to her father, it felt strange. Not just emotionally, but physically too. I almost felt like I was attached to her with an elastic band and when I finally got far enough from her it snapped leaving us both staring at the other in shock.

"I smell you again," Carlisle said looking at me.

Her shield! The slight sparkle and the tugging feeling were the effects of her shield. I wanted to tell Carlisle, I truly did, but I knew that he would want to try some experiments and I felt that if we left them alone, Bella and Edward would talk... and that needed to happen.

"That's good," I said calmly, taking him by the hand and leading him out.

I only prayed that good things happened while we were gone.

.

.

Edward's POV - (swore I wouldn't do anyone's POV but Esme and Carlisle, but it had to me done!)

.

.

An idiot, that's what I am. I had the best thing in the world at my finger tips and I destroyed it. My Bella, my love...

As I looked back at our relationship, I cursed my perfect recall. I had made mistakes... so many mistakes and justified them all. I sat at the piano and shook my head. I had lost my chance with her, at least I assumed so... But there I was making assumptions about Bella again.

I tried to get my thoughts off Bella and our relationship. She needed time to process everything and I would give her that. I let my fingers fly across the keyboard, as one melody after another played.

"You play beautifully Edward," Tanya said, coming into the room. As she said it, her thoughts bust through the fog I had created while playing. Ugh!

Did she not get it? Could she not understand that I wasn't interested in her?

"Thank you, Tanya. Now if you don't mind..." I said, trailing off, hoping that she would get the message.

"Why do you fight it Eddie? I can feel that you want me..." she said.

"The only thing I want from you, is for you to leave," I said.

"Eddie, you know that isn't true," she said walking next to the piano.

"Tanya, first off my name is Edward, not Eddie. Second, I am not, nor have I ever been interested in you. I would not sleep with you for anything," I said firmly.

"There would be no sleeping involved silly boy," she purred.

Seriously?

"Tanya, I am sure that there are many people in this world that find you attractive. I am not one of them," I said, moving away from her. "Please leave."

"Eddie, don't be like that," she cooed.

"How many languages does he need to use for you to get it through your thick skull that he isn't interested in your skanky ass?" Bella asked, coming into the room.

"Bella," Tanya sneered. "What are you doing here?"

"At the moment, rescuing Edward. He may be too much of a gentleman to throw you out on your ass... I, however, do not have the same scruples," Bella said.

"You wouldn't touch me!" Tanya growled.

"Have you learned nothing? I don't even have to raise a finger to send you and your skanky ass flying," Bella said.

Was I wrong to find this hot? Not Tanya. Ewww! But Bella, being assertive... I was liking this Bella!

"Threatened, little girl?" Tanya sneered, antagonizing Bella.

"By you? Please!" Bella said back.

"Look at you. You think he'd be happy with you... maybe for a while... But your inexperience and plain exterior... Not gonna stay around for long..." she taunted.

"You may think you're pretty... and from the outside you are. But you are truly the ugliest person I have ever met," Bella said back, attacking Tanya where it hurt the most.

"Ugly???" Tanya gasped.

"You heard me. Sure you have perfect blond hair and by most you would be considered pretty, but I see past all the trappings. I truly see the ugliness in you very soul. Ever wonder why you have had SOOOO many men?? They look at the outside and decide that you are good enough to get their jollies from for a while... ever wonder why they never stay? Why no man has ever put a ring on your finger?" Bella taunted.

Tanya stared at her, completely speechless. Her thoughts, however, weren't.

Her brain started to run through all the men that she had been with over the many many years that she had been alive. Not one had ever declared their love... except accidentally in the course of passion... but they all quickly rescinded once blood returned to their brains.

"No man will ever love you Tanya. They will use you and your body until they have what they want... then they will move on," Bella said.

"You know nothing about me!" Tanya yelled.

"On the contrary I know everything about you. And I'm sure edward will confirm everything I'm saying. You see I saw the look on your face when I spoke. Thinking about all the men... trying to make sure that what I said wasn't true... But the sad fact is... It is true," Bella said. "Every word."

"Say nothing if you know what's good for you Edward!" Tanya sneered at me.

"I don't need to. You confirmed everything she said with your own insecurities," I said.

"Tanya," Bella cooed. "I don't want to hate you. But until you respect all the women of my family and their relationships with their men, I will."

"You have no hold on Eddie," Tanya sneered.

"Not yet," Bella said. "But I hope to remedy that soon."

I swear my dead heart started beating again. Her words to Tanya had my heart leaping for joy. Was it possible that she was willing to give me another chance? Or was this just words to get Tanya out of her hair.

Tanya screamed and stomped her foot before making her way to the door. She turned, as though she wanted to say something, but before she could, Emmett and Rose entered the room, both glaring at her.

"My sister and brother have some things to discuss, and you are in their way," Rosalie said, glaring at Tanya.

"Since when did you care about her?" Tanya sneered at Rose. "Last I heard you weren't her biggest fan."

"I worked under a lot of preconceived notions..." Rosalie said to Tanya. "But once I took my head out of my pretty blonde ass, I learned a few things about myself, and about those around me... and I decided that I jumped to some pretty awful conclusions... and, when the time is right, I will make a point of talking about those, and making it right again."

"So now you're just one big happy family?" Tanya asked, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Not yet," Rose said. "But we will be in time."

"Let's go, Tanya. We are going for a long walk and you are accompanying us... whether you wish to or not," Emmett said.

"Thank you," I said to both Rose and Emmett as they practically dragged Tanya out of the room.

Once the room was empty of everyone but Bella and I, an uncomfortable silence fell over the room. I wanted to say something but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to start.

"Bella, I..." I started at the same time as she said. "Edward, I..."

We looked at each other and chuckled.

"Could this be any more awkward?" she finally asked.

"Emmett could still be here," I said, smiling at her.

"True," she agreed with a genuine smile.

"I like the new you," I said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Kicking ass, taking names... It suits you," I said.

"Really?" she asked skeptically. "It feels odd, but I think I like it."

"Good," I said.

"So..." she said.

"A needle pulling thread?" I said smiling at her.

"Wow. I don't think I've ever heard you joke like that. I like it too," she said.

"Come on. Emmett would have completely kicked my ass for telling a joke that lame," I said.

"Still... I like you like this. Relaxed, joking, smiling..." she said.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"For?" she asked.

"I did things so wrong Bella. I messed things up right from the start and I never saw it... I couldn't," I stated.

"Are you telling me that you do now?" she asked, biting her lip.

"I am," I confirmed. "Do you want me to tell you all about my major epiphanies?"

"Please," she said, turning to the side to look out the window. The sun was shining brightly and she seemed to be enjoying the view.

"I was a jackass," I started.

"I'll agree with that," she said, smirking slightly.

"Ouch!" I said, feigning injury.

"Oh come one, you so deserved that," she said, looking at me, smiling wickedly.

"Not saying I didn't. I deserve that and so much more," I said, smiling back at her.

"So, tell me," she said.

"From the moment I met you, I felt a connection to you. And no, it was not just the intense desire that your blood had for me. Had that been the only draw, you wouldn't have lived long," I told her.

"Oh," she said. "I guess I knew that."

"I ran away, after talking to Carlisle because I wanted you to have a chance to live, a chance that I was certain you wouldn't have if I stayed near," I said.

"Where do you go?" she asked.

"To Denali," I answered.

She growled softly, then looked almost guilty for having done so. I just smiled at her. It was sexy as hell!

"Anyways I basically said hi to them and took off on my own, just laying in the snow and looking at the stars," I said. "And all I could think of was you. Your scent, you silent thoughts, your beautiful brown eyes, your hair, your shy little smile..."

"And you came back," she said, smiling at me. Her beautiful brown eyes replaced with red ones, but my heart didn't notice a difference.

"Not right away. First I got mad at you. How could a mere human affect me so much? How could I allow you to run me away from my family?" I said looking at her.

"I never thought of it that way," she said.

"Neither did I, not really anyways," I said smiling at her. "It was simply a good way to convince my brain to do what my heart wanted. To return to you."

She bit her lip and smiled at me shaking her head slightly.

"You still don't understand what you do to me," I told her.

"What?" she asked.

"Later, Beautiful Girl. Let me finish this part first, okay?" I said. It would be her choice, truly her choice. If she said no I would fold like a house of cards.

"Okay," she said.

"When I returned I promised myself that I would treat you no different than I treated anyone else, so when I was back in biology with you I decided to talk to you. And that should have been my first sign that I couldn't. I would never have spoken to anyone else. They simply held no draw for me," I said, daring to reach out and touch the tip of her nose.

"So my silent thoughts got you to talk to me?" she asked.

"Mostly at first, but I could have listened to you speak to others and find out your secrets. But the very thought of not being the one that you confided in was pure torture," I said.

She shook her head at me and smiled, obviously finding my actions humorous.

"I didn't even realize how close I was getting to you. And then you had to be the most observant human ever! You knew and started piecing things together before I had a chance," I said, shaking my head.

"At first I thought I was inventing things. That I was creating reasons for my brain to think about you, because I did... all the time. It was very distracting," she admitted. The look on her face told me she would have been blushing had she still been able.

"I miss that," I said stroking her cheek.

"What?" she asked, completely puzzled.

"Your blush," I said.

"I don't," she grinned. "It was so embarrassing."

"It was another thing that made you, you," I said. "And slowly but surely I fell head over heels in love with every part of you."

"I hardly believe that," she snorted.

"Everything," I reiterated. "Your kind and gentle nature, your smile, your voice, the way your heart beat, your blush, the way you chew your lip when you're uncertain about something, the way you would watch me when you thought I wasn't looking..."

"No!" she gasped.

"I saw it all, my Bella," I said. "I even loved your inability to walk over flat surfaces without falling. It gave me the chance to touch you."

"You didn't need that," she said, looking at my shyly as she would have when she was human.

"I know that now... But my heart wasn't ready to believe that then," I told her. "I spent my entire life, to that point, thinking that I would never fall in love. I watched it happen for the others, and actively sought it for a time. But never had anyone made me feel so alive... just by being next to me," I said to her.

She bit her lip, looking straight at me.

"Bella I screwed up so many times and so badly," I said. "I thought I knew what was best for you. I thought that you just didn't understand what it would be like when you said you wanted to be like me. I hated taking anything from you but instead of respecting you and talking to you I tried to make decisions for you. I was wrong..."

"You were wrong... But I was wrong too. I never believed myself to be good enough for you so I didn't put myself out there and talk to you either, so content to just take what you gave and never challenge what you said. I didn't understand that you could possibly love me the way that I loved you," she said.

"Do you still?" I asked.

She was silent for a long time, too long. I was so certain that she would say no. I was certain that she would say she didn't want me anymore and was taking her time to break it to me gently.

"Yes," she whispered.

"I love you so much Bella. The things I said in the forest... they were lies. I tried to make you hate me. I wanted you to have everything in life but I didn't talk to you. I didn't really listen to what you said. I was an arrogant ass and I tried to decide what was best for you and in doing so all I did was hurt you, hurt my family and manage to get your father killed," I said.

"Don't," she said. "Don't blame yourself for Victoria. Her actions were all her own and nobody could have anticipated what she was going to do."

"I should have. I should have read her thoughts. I should have known that she and James were mates and that she would come after you. A mate for a mate," I said.

"And I should never have left. I should have stayed with my father 24-7," she said. "Knowing now, we all could have done things differently. But it doesn't change what happened and feeling guilty about things that we can't change is only going to tear us apart. I couldn't bear that..."

I couldn't take not touching her anymore. I couldn't stand the fact that there was any space between our bodies.

"If you don't want this, tell me. Because right now I need to hold you. I made the biggest mistake of my life thinking I was strong enough to let you go. I won't do it again, unless you ask..." I said, pulling her against my chest.

She didn't fight me at all, and in fact seemed to melt against my chest.

"Never," she said. "I'm not saying I am over everything. I am not saying that all is forgiven and we can be back to where we were a week ago. But I love you, with every fiber of my being I love you and I will fight for you."

Her arms wrapped around my waist and she held me tightly to her. Holding her this way was magical.

"I like holding you when I don't have to worry that one slip on my part will break you," I said.

She giggled. "And you don't have the burning throat to deal with either."

"Nope that is definitely gone," I said.

We stood like that for what seemed like minutes but felt like an eternity. I knew I never wanted to be without her again.

"Before you Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars – points of light and reason... And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything was black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything," I told her.

"I love you," she said.

"As I love you," I told her.

We stood there, in the cocoon of our love for each other for a few more minutes. There were a lof of questions that still needed answering and we would get to them in time.

"How did it happen?" I asked her after a while. "The accident, I mean, why you could no longer have children."

"School had barely started, seventh grade," she said. "I was excited because Renee had decided that I could walk to school this year. It was only two blocks away but it meant I had freedom. It was raining, that morning, the day after I turned thirteen and Renee wanted to drive. I decided that it would be the perfect time to use my gift from Charlie. He had saint me a purple umbrella. Perfect for Forks but it would have been used just a handful of times ever in Phoenix. Most of the other kids in my neighborhood got a ride that morning, but I took my time... I was on the sidewalk right outside the school when it happened. I never say anything, but apparently a car lost control and jumped the curb, hitting me straight on and crushing my abdomen against the fence. The next thing I remember was waking up three days late in the hospital. Renee was there, absolutely beside herself unable to say a word. Charlie was out of the room, talking to the doctors. Renee hadn't even called to tell him. He only knew because I was on his medical plan and they contacted him. I wasn't worried, this wasn't the first time I had woken up in hospital next to my hysterical mother. I simply checked myself over for bruises and broken bones. The bruises were intense but I saw no cats so I thought it would all be fine. Then I started listening to my mother's blathering. So terrible... so young... never have grandchildren... It all made very little sense to my medicine fogged brain. But the long and the short of it was the car had managed to miss any bones, hitting me squarely in the abdomen. I lost my spleen, my appendix, one ovary and most of my uterus."

"Wow," I said. "How come you never said anything?"

"By the time I met you, I was fine with it. I had never really wanted children anyways and so it wasn't that big a deal. When we met, I knew you could never have kids so it was a moot point as far as I was concerned," she said.

"So when Tyler's van tried to squish you it wasn't your first run in with a car," I said.

"Fourth actually," she said. "Danger magnet, remember?"

"That I do. Fourth?" I asked.

"That one was the second. The first was when I was six, crossing the street with my babysitter and a car ran the stop sign, narrowly missing my baby sitter and clipping me breaking my leg," she said. "And then Mom actually met Phil when he hit me with his car. He didn't do any major damage, just a few bruises."

"How did you ever survive before I was around to rescue you?" I asked with a cheeky crooked smile.

"I don't know... And I never want to know again," she said.

"Except now you're Superwoman and you'll be rescuing me," I said.

"I doubt that," she snorted.

"You already did," I told her. "Twice."

"From the big bad succubus?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, faking a shutter.

"She won't touch you again if I have anything to say about it," Bella growled.

"Do you know how sexy that is?" I asked her.

She just giggled.

"You don't miss it?" she asked.

"Miss what?" I asked. "I have everything I need in my arms."

"Everything. My warmth, my softness..." she said.

"Not really," I answered. "I will miss your blush, the way your heart would pound when we kissed and lying with you in your tiny bed listening to you say my name in your sleep."

"You listened when I talked in my sleep?" She asked looking up at me.

"Always," I said grinning at her.

"What did I say?" she asked.

"Mostly just my name and that you loved me," I said.

"But you said not really?" she asked.

"Most of what I love is here in my arms now. And some of the... drawbacks... are gone," I said.

"Drawbacks?" she asked.

"Your oh so breakable body, for one. Your scent burning my throat. Your need for sleep," I said.

"But I thought you liked my sleep talking?" she asked.

"I did, but spending the time awake with you is much better," I said.

"And now you don't have to carry me when we go for a run," she said.

"I think I'll miss that. I liked having you so close to me... especially when you hid you head," I said.

"Maybe we can still do that occasionally," she said.

"Yeah?" I asked. "You're still gonna let me carry you, Superwoman?"

"Sometimes," she said grinning. She moved her hands over my back and I buried a groan into her hair.

"I am trying to be a gentleman here and go slow, but you are not making it easy on me," I said.

"Never said I would," she said, looking up at me, her eyes blazing with mischief as she moved her hands under my T-shirt, running her fingers along the bare skin of my back.

"You don't stop that soon and I will kiss you... and if I do, we may never stop," I warned.

"No problem... I don't need to breath anymore," she said wickedly.

"I thought you said you wanted to go slow?" I asked.

"Maybe I changed mind," she said, tilting her head at the perfect angle for me to kiss her.

I lowered my head slowly, bringing my lips closer to hers. My eyes were focused intently on the soft pink lips and I watched as her little pink tongue darted out, moistening her lips in anticipation. The electricity crackled between us as my lips brushed hers gently causing us both to gasp.

"Edward," she whispered.

"Bella," I all but moaned.

"Kiss me," she said.

Yes ma'am! I didn't waste another second as I lowered my lips and pressed them to hers. Kissing Bella had always been one of my favorite pastimes, her lips pressed to mine was one of the best feelings in the world.

I really have no clue who long we stayed that way. Eventually I pulled her up into my arms and her legs wrapped around my waist. My hands went to her bottom to hold her up while hers were threaded through my hair.

I had missed that. I vowed never to leave her again. She was my everything.

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**Esme's POV**

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We were only gone for about an hour, but that was about 59 minutes too long for my liking.

"Can we please go back now?" I asked Carlisle for the seventh time. We had finished hunting thirty minutes prior and were just trying to give the kids a chance to work things out. Carlisle was more confident that I that it would work.

"Es," he said. "They would have called if there had been any trouble."

"But who knows what could be happening Carlisle? Tanya is there for crying out loud!" I said.

"And that may be more impetus than anything for them to get things resolved. Emmett and Rose are there, and Rose has made her feelings for Tanya perfectly clear," he said.

"But she and Bella just went head to head this morning. I'm sure Bella still feels threatened by the whole situation. I should never have left her," I fretted.

"Darling," he said to me, holding both of my hands and looking right into my eyes. "She wanted to stay. She has your cell phone number and would call if need be. If it would make you feel better we can call Rose and Emmett."

"Yes," I said. "Please."

He chuckled softly at me and picked up his phone.

"Hello?" Emmett answered.

"Hi, Emmett," Carlisle said. "How are things?"

"Well we aren't actually at home right now," Emmett said.

"You're not?" Carlisle asked. "Where are you?"

"Rosie and I decided it was time to take Tanya for a walk before Bella ripped her head off," he chuckled.

"What?" I gasped. "I knew we shouldn't have left!"

"Hold on," Carlisle said to me. "What happened, Emmett?"

"Tanya decided that it would be a good time to corner Edward again. Edward disagreed but was using his gentlemanly skills instead of telling her to get her filthy hands off of him. So Bella stepped in. I am so proud of my little sister. She put Tanya in her place in more than one way. In fact the girl hasn't said one word since we left the house," he said, chuckling darkly.

"What on earth did Bella say to get that kind of reaction from Tanya?" Carlisle asked.

"She called a spade a spade. Here, Rosie wants to tell you. Apparently I'm not doing it right," he said.

"Carlisle?" Rose asked.

"So what happened Rose?" he asked, apparently just as anxious as I was to hear what was going on.

"Well, as Emmett said, Tanya had practically cornered Edward," she said. "Bella walked into the room and asked Tanya how many languages Edward would need to use for her to understand that he didn't want her skanky ass."

"Bella told Tanya she had a skanky ass???" I gasped, looking at Carlisle who was barely holding in his laughter.

"Tanya tried to play all cool, but it didn't fly with Bella," Rose said. "She said that Edward was too much of a gentleman to throw her out on her ass but she had no problem with it."

"I'm going to have to speak to her about language! She must have spent too much time with Emmett," I said.

"Tanya thought she was big shit and said that Bella wouldn't touch her, to which Bella replied that she wouldn't have to," Rose said. I could hear the pride in her voice.

"Anyways, there was a little jabbing back and forth and then Bella went in for the kill," Rose said.

"She what?" Carlisle and I asked in unison.

"Just with her words. Sheesh! You think any of us would let her touch Tanya? Who knows what Bella would pick up?" Rose said.

"What did she say?" Carlisle asked.

"She said that Tanya may think she's pretty and from the outside she could be right. But she said that she was the ugliest person she had ever met. Then, she hit Tanya even deeper, commenting that all any man would ever want from her is sex because once they saw past her perfect blonde exterior there was nothing there worth anything and that no man would ever love her enough to put a ring on her finger," Rose said, proudly.

Carlisle and I were both speechless. Our shy little Bella had sure come out of her shell with a vengeance.

"Anyways," Rose said. "Tanya sputtered and postured a bit more and told Bella that she had to hold on Edward. Bella told her she planned to remedy that soon and so Em and I took that as our cue to leave and take Tanya with us."

"Really?" I asked. "She wanted to talk to him. Oh that's wonderful. I'd hoped that she would do that soon but I had no idea."

"Anyways, we figure we'll stay away for another hour or so then head back," Rose said.

"And you really think they're okay?" I asked.

"Let's just say that when we left the room the tension in the air was not the kind that anyone else wants to be present for," Rose said.

"Rose!" I said. "You've spent to much time with Emmett obviously."

"Yeah," Rose said warmly. "The big oaf has a way of rubbing off on you."

We said our goodbyes and hung up the phone.

"Do you think they'll really get this all worked out?" I asked him.

"Maybe not everything, but I bet the house will still be standing when we get back," he said.

"So what shall we do with our free hour?" I asked, smirking at my husband.

"I think I saw a nice patch of moss back there..." he said.

"Show me!" I said.

He smiled from ear to ear and grabbed my hand and pulling me into the trees. I only hoped that we wouldn't be interrupted before our hour was up.

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**A/N 2: Oooh, sexy times for Esme and Carlisle. This may come out later as an out take. What do you think??? Are you all interested?**


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews. You guys are awesome. The out take of Carlisle and Esme's 'time' together should be ready soon. I will post it separate from this story so keep me on author alert if you want to see it when it is completed. I don't own any of these characters, although I wish I did! Then I wouldn't have a real job that interfered with my writing. Sigh!!!

I appreciate any and all reviews so please make me smile... and write faster :)

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"Are you sure my hair is okay?" I asked Carlisle.

"It's perfect, Love," Carlisle said as he came up from behind me and kissed my neck.

"Thank you," I said, turning around to kiss his lips, my hands running across his still bare chest.

After a couple of minutes of distraction, he sighed.

"What?" I asked.

"Bella and Edward," he said.

"We do need to get back," I said, reluctant for the first time.

We proceeded to finish dressing in silence.

That is one of my favorite things about Carlisle. Silence was never uncomfortable. And the passion we shared... though we weren't as overt as Rosalie and Emmett, or as intense as Alice and Jasper, it burned very strong within us. I hoped for the same with Bella and Edward, but I wondered if she would ever be able to truly forgive him... And if he could ever really treat her as an equal.

I was broken out of my revery by Carlisle as he straightened his tie.

"Ready, my Darling?" he asked me.

"Yes," I said, grabbing his hand.

When we arrived back at the house I could tell that Edward and Bella were there, but there was no other scents or sounds.

"It's awfully quiet," I all but whispered to Carlisle.

"Do you think they killed each other?" he asked, and winked at me.

We entered the house, moving towards Edward and Bella's scents. They were in the music room at the end at the hall, together. That had to be a good thing, didn't it? I took the lead as we moved down the hall, with Carlisle close behind me. I don't know why we didn't call out to them, we just didn't. It wasn't like they didn't know we were here or anything. I suppose we were just anxious to see them and to make sure everything was okay.

I opened the door and met two pairs of very surprised eyes. I would like to say I caught them in some sort of compromising position, well not too compromising, but at least in a lip lock or something. They were sitting on the small sofa in the room, close to each other, but not too close.

"Hi," I said to them. "Are you guys okay?"

Neither said anything and the silence was starting to get bothersome.

"Edward? Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Come on you two," I said.

"We're... fine," Bella said, after a little while.

"Fine? What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means, fine," Edward said.

"Did you actually talk to each other?" I asked again. Come on this was like pulling teeth.

"Yeah," Bella said.

"And?" I asked, hoping for some clarification.

I heard some of the others coming.

"Edward," Alice said in a panic as she stood at the music room door, looking at Carlisle and I, then turning towards Bella and Edward. "You're here?"

"Of course, I'm here Alice," he said, exasperated.

"But, you're... you've...." Alice started to try to explain but managed to be completely incoherent.

"Spit it out Alice," Carlisle instructed. "What has you in such a tizzy?"

"He was here... then nothing... I just couldn't see him at all," she explained.

"Just like when Bella had Esme under her shield, right?" Carlisle asked.

"No," Alice exclaimed. "It was different. When Es was under the shield, I couldn't see her at the time, but when I looked for her future, I could still see it. Edward's is gone. I thought..."

"What do you think that means?" I asked Carlisle, panicked. The fact that my son's future was gone was very concerning to me.

Carlisle pondered for a bit and turned and looked at Edward and Bella. It was like he was scanning them, appraising them to see something, anything at all. Then he grinned, and not just any grin, it was his triumphant smile.

"What is it Carlisle?" I asked, still worried.

"Do you want to tell them or shall I?" he said looking from Edward to Bella.

"How does he do that?" Bella asked rolling her eyes.

"And he says he isn't gifted," Edward said.

"Can someone please fill me in here!" jasper demanded.

"Shall I?" Edward asked.

"You could," Bella replied.

"Or you could," Edward said.

All this banter was driving me crazy.

"Well if one of you doesn't, I will!" Carlisle said, smiling.

"Do you think he would?" Bella asked.

"I..." Edward started.

"I will!" Carlisle said.

Bella started giggling and shifted closer to Edward, holding out her hand. He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it, before tugging her towards him so she landed squarely on his lap.

I smiled widely at the two of them.

"You've made up?" I squealed.

"Basically," Edward said. "I have promised to try not to be an overbearing, overprotective ass, and she promises to kick my ass when I fail."

"If," she clarified.

"When," we all said in unison.

Alice's squeal sent a look of fear through Bella's face as she launched herself at Bella and Edward. Unfortunately for Alice, she did not factor in Bella's ability to shield herself and she bounced off and rebounded into a wall, hitting it like a rag doll.

Jasper was immediately by her side, concerned for his mate.

"You have to try that, Jazz," Alice said as she pulled herself up. "Not only does it throw you, but you are unable to form any kind of defense when landing. It's awesome. It's like you completely freeze!"

"How are you doing that, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Ummm," she said. "It's just kinda.... It just happens. I don't try... I just know it's going to be there."

"Interesting," he said.

"So, you two are okay?" I asked them.

"Better than okay," Edward said, pulling Bella close. "We still have stuff to discuss, but we are willing to work together."

"So I don't need to do any more ass kicking?" I asked Bella, causing her to giggle.

"Sorry, Mom. It still sounds wrong when you swear," she said with a smile. "And no, I don't need you to kick his ass... I can do it myself."

The grin that was on her face when she said that was a little mischievous, and a little embarrassed.

"So tell me what you know about your powers, Bella," Carlisle said.

"Ummm," she said, as we all looked on intently. "Well... there has been everything that you see of course, but there are other things that I don't understand completely. I think I can sense when a vampire has powers...."

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked.

"Everybody I've met so far has an aura around them, a little shimmer, I guess," she explained.

We all just looked at her, not knowing what to say and I knew from her facial expression that she would have been blushing had she still been able.

"Go on," Edward said soothingly from her side.

"For the most part it's like a bonus skin, I guess. They change a bit with emotions and, for example... Tanya... when she was here... hers went red as she was...."

"What was Tanya doing exactly?" Jasper asked, smirking at Edward. He always found it funny how Edward ran from her when he was unattached and she was so obviously willing to offer Edward anything he wanted.

"She was just being... predatory," Edward said, struggling for the last word.

"Barracuda," Bella mumbled.

Alice giggled. "That's Tanya for you," she said.

"Anyways," Bella said. "When she was being 'predatory' her aura glowed red... It made me just a little angry... I guess."

"That could just be a mate thing," Carlisle said, smiling.

"Oh," Bella said, nodding her head.

"But what about the power thing?" Carlisle asked. "You said that you think you can sense other's powers."

"I can't sense it really, I see it," she said.

"You really need to explain that Bella," Carlisle said, sitting next to her.

"It's hard to say whether I can see what people's powers are or not, because I knew everyone's power already, except for Kate's but I..." she struggled. "Anyways, everyone has an aura that shimmers. Edward, Jasper, Alice, Eleazar and Kate are different colors. Edward and Alice are the darkest, followed by Jasper, then Eleazar. And Kate... well it's just her hands that glow."

"She can only use her power through her hands so I guess that makes sense," I said.

"Very interesting," Carlisle said, pinching his chin between his thumb and forefinger. He always does that when he is trying to solve a mystery.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Just how weird do you think I am?" Bella asked.

"I don't think you're weird!" Carlisle said.

"You don't think it's weird that I have more than one power and that those powers aren't simple to define?" she asked incredulously. "I do."

"Not weird," I said, sitting next to her. "Just different."

"Different... Weird... All the same thing," she said.

"It really isn't Bella," Edward said, nuzzling close to her. "You've never been normal, which I am most glad for. I'm glad you haven't started now."

"Yeah," she snorted. "At least I make things interesting."

Alice giggled. "If I come close are you going to send me flying into the wall again?" she asked.

"I don't think so," Bella said with a frown. "I didn't really do that on purpose."

"Can you tell me what you were thinking when Alice launched herself at you?" Carlisle asked.

"Only that I didn't want to be hit with a flying pixie," Bella said.

"And with Emmett?" he asked. "You seemed to know that you could just stand there. How were you so certain?"

"Ummm," she said, biting her lip as she had always done when she was human.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked, trying to pull her out of her stalling.

"I just knew it," she said with a shrug. "I didn't see the future and I didn't know what was going to happen exactly... I just knew that I would be okay."

"But you closed your eyes, turned your back to him. You must have known something," Carlisle said. "I would never have turned my back on Emmett... and we hadn't seen any physical manifestation of your shield to that point," Carlisle continued.

"I can't explain... I just knew. When I was facing him, I knew that no matter what, as long as Emmett attacked me first, I would be okay," Bella said with a shrug.

"There are others that have powers like that, Carlisle," Jasper added in. "Take Peter, he just knows things. And Maggie, from the Irish coven... she sees the truth in things."

"I think that this is more than that," Carlisle said. "I wish Eleazar could see past your shield."

"Me too," Bella added wistfully.

I patted her leg reassuringly and smiled at her. She leaned back against Edward and rested her head on his shoulder. It was so nice to see them together again. I knew they would both have many more hurdles to overcome, it's not everyday you go from being Lois Lane to being Superman. And it would be hard for Edward too. He prided himself on protecting her. Now that she was a vampire, and nowhere near as fragile, she wouldn't need him to save her as often, nor would she relish it, likely. And then you add in the shield, and she was likely the one that was going to be protecting him. And that could a mighty pill for him to swallow.

"So, Edward," Carlisle said, turning his attention from Bella. "Since you were covered by Bella's shield, can you read her mind while in it? Could you read ours?"

"He's still shielded," Bella added softly. "I can't figure out how to stop."

"I can't here Bella at all still. But when Alice came bouncing over to attack, for lack of a better word, I could still hear her, but it was more," he said.

"More?" Carlisle asked.

"It wasn't just the fleeting thought of the moment I could see a lot more," Edward said.

Alice looked momentarily concerned by that fact and we all fell silent.

"Oh goody," Bella said after a bit. "The rest are all back."

I listened intently for a second, yet I didn't hear them.

"Are you sure?" I asked her.

"I hear them too," Edward said. "They're on the far side of... the... clearing."

"How can I hear them from there?" Bella asked. "You said that the clearing was out of range," Bella said, turning to look at me, relatively panic stricken.

"It usually is!" Carlisle said. "If the breeze is right, we can catch a scent from the far end of the clearing, but never sound, especially if people are being quiet."

"What do you mean you can hear them, Edward?" I asked.

"Usually, I can't... but I can get everything, sound and thought," Edward said.

Bella was getting tense and she stood up, pulling away from Edward. He was having none of that and moved to her side again, pulling her into his arms so her back was flush with his chest.

"It's okay," he said, whispering in her ear.

"I don't like being odd," she said.

"If you are, then I'm right there with you," he said.

The scent of those that were rejoining us was now apparent and as they moved into normal hearing range, Tanya could be heard, whining to her sisters, I guess.

"I don't understand why she thinks that she is so much better than me! Edward and I are way better suited than that mousy brunette," she said.

"Tanya," Rosalie growled, followed very closely by a growl from Emmett. "She is a part of this family and Edward's true mate. If you can't accept that I think it's best that you leave."

"Really," Tanya sneered. "What would the rest of your family say to that?"

Carlisle was out of the room like a shot. He spoke for this family and she wouldn't listen unless it came from him.

"You know what Tanya," Rose said. "I tried to fight the inevitable too. I was afraid of change... But I was wrong. Bella belongs in this family in a way you never could. So back off my brother, he has never been even remotely interested in you. So why you think he would be now, when he has someone who is way better than you can ever hope of being..."

"Rose!" Carlisle said, surprisingly not admonishing her. "Tanya!"

"Carlisle," Tanya whimpered, putting a little catch in her voice, as though she was the wounded party.

"Don't Tanya!" Carlisle said firmly. "You have disrespected my family for far too long to be able to pull that off."

"What do you mean Carlisle?" she asked, as though she were hurt by the accusation.

I moved through the house to stand beside him, and motioned for Alice and Jasper to do the same. Bella and Edward fell in with us, behind them. Family unity was going to be needed in this situation.

"Tanya, for years I have watched you throw yourself at my son, over and over again. I have stayed quiet, not wanting to embarrass him or you. But, no more. He has made it clear on many occasions that he is not remotely interested in a romantic relationship with you and yet you have disrespected his wishes, and in truth, disrespected our family," Carlisle said firmly, as we moved to stand behind him.

"But, Carlisle... I..." she started to say.

"No Tanya, you listen," Carlisle said.

"You have shown a great deal of disrespect for Edward and now for Bella. That will not be tolerated by any member of my family, and though I am greatful that you and your family have come to help us in this crisis I will not allow your disrespect and if that means that you leave then so be it," he said firmly.

"Fine," Tanya snapped, apparently having reached her limit on what she would take. "We'll leave."

She turned to look at her family, who was stepping back away from her.

"Kate, Irina, Carmen, Eleazar... Let's go!" she snapped.

"No," Kate said first. The others moved to stand near Kate.

"You will stand for them treating me this way?" she asked, looking at her sister and then the others. "You all stand with Carlisle instead of me?"

"No, Tanya. We are standing for what's right," Irina said. "We do not leave our friends in their hour of need. You know better than that. Now your pride has taken a hit, and for that I'm sorry... But everything Carlisle has said is true. You have taken advantage of the fact that Edward is a gentleman. He has treated you with a degree of respect that you did not deserve and you have continually used that against him. I am staying, and not just to find out what Laurent is up to, I am staying because it is what is right, And I will respect all of the Cullens, especially Bella as she has done nothing to deserve otherwise."

"But..." Tanya sputtered.

"There are no buts, here, Querida," Carmen said, grabbing Tanya's hand. "We love you. What Carlisle has said is true and you need to apologize and then we need to figure our what to do about that cabron, Laurent!"

Tanya huffed and crossed her arms.

"I have never tried to supersede your role as head of this family Tanya, nor do I attempt to do so now. You need to get your act together and behave in a manner that dignifies our family and not like the petulant child you are currently basing your demeanor on now," he said.

She looked up at him and nodded.

"Edward, I'm sorry for my behavior. They are right, I took advantage of the fact that you acted like a gentleman and in doing so disrespected you and your family... And my own," Tanya said.

"Thank you Tanya," Edward said, holding onto Bella tightly.

"And Bella, once I knew that there was a relationship between you and Edward,I should have backed off and let you two figure out everything you needed to work on. You were right on the money with everything that you said and I acted like a jealous fool for trying to come between you. It is obvious to me now that you are truly mated and I will never come between true mates," she said.

Bella seemed a little reluctant to accept Tanya's apology and seemed to be staring her down for a bit.

"Fine," she said after a bit. "I believe you."

"So now," Eleazar said, clapping his hands together. "Now that we can all be in one room in a civilized manner, I say we need to discuss the matter at hand."

"Agreed," Carlisle said, smiling widely. "Tanya, do you concur?"

"I do," Tanya said. "It is time we find out once and for all where Laurent's allegiances lie and help protect you and yours from Victoria."

We all went into the living room again. Edward grabbed the recliner and pulled Bella onto his lap. I found myself wishing that the two of them could have time to fully reconnect as I was certain there was still so much that needed to be taken care of.

"I will not ask if you are certain that it was Laurent that you saw," Irina said, starting off the discussion. "That said, I am having a difficult time reconciling the Laurent I know with the one that is acquainted with Victoria. Having the proof of his indiscretions thrown at me is not easy to...."

"The Laurent we knew, before I met him again just days ago, was honorable and compassionate. He did not participate in Victoria and James' assault on Bella and our family the first time so I do not truly understand his motivation. As well, he had a perfect opportunity to attack Bella and I that night as we were alone. He had been to the house and knew that the others weren't here, he knew we were completely unprotected by the others, yet he chose not to attack us," I said.

"I agree," Bella said from her position on Edward's lap. "If he wanted to kill me he could have done it easily... yet he didn't. I don't think I understand..."

"I do," Edward said. "This is a game to Victoria. She is trying to destroy us piece by piece. She wanted Bella to suffer before she killed her. Killing her in that situation wouldn't have been awful enough..."

"So you think Laurent is completely in her control?" Irina asked Edward.

"I can't see any other reason that a man would leave the woman he loved..." Edward said.

"Unless," Bella cut in. "Unless he figured that he was doing it to protect Irina in some way... Like you did with me."

"How could he be protecting her? The situation is completely different," Carlisle said.

"Maybe and maybe not," Bella said. "Maybe she threatened Irina. Victoria is cruel... What she did to Charlie proved that. Maybe she had some dirt on Laurent... Maybe she had a credible threat against Irina."

"None of you were big fans of his, right?" I asked the Denalis.

"Well," Tanya started to say.

"No," Irina said. "None of them were very supportive."

"It's not that. There was always something that seemed to hold him back around us... like he wasn't being completely open and honest. Not to mention the fact that he questioned the diet constantly and moaned and complained about it. Of course we all knew that he would go off on his own occasionally and hunt from his chosen diet, not that we fault him for that, but the dishonesty surrounding it was an issue," Kate said.

"He was so embarrassed by his weakness," Irina said. "Did we make him feel he couldn't be honest with us?"

"Nobody is questioning the fact that he loves you," Tanya said. "I know he does. You can see it in everything. What we question is if his love for you is enough."

"Enough for what?" Irina asked. "If I love him, what right do I have to expect him to change?"

Everyone was silent.

"I guess the question is, what you will do if it comes down to a face off with him Irina," Eleazar said.

"If he chooses Victoria and her malicious plan over me then I will have no choice to make. Victoria is pure evil... From everything he has told me... I can't believe he returned to help her," Irina said.

"What has he told you about her?" Carlisle asked. "Irina, any bit of information could help."

"She has a power," Irina said.

"What kind of power?" Edward asked.

"She has an extra sense... it allows her to evade capture. Laurent said that even in the tightest spot, she always managed to find a way out," Irina said.

"There is more to this Irina," Bella said. "I don't know what it is, but there is more to this."

Irina smiled at Bella while the rest remained tight lipped.

"What do you know of his past?" Carlisle asked her. "How long was he with James and Victoria?"

"He met up with James and Victoria in the mid eighties, so he was with them for a little more than twenty years. He drifted in and out of their company during that time as some of their pursuits were a little too rough for his tastes," she said.

"How so?" Jasper asked.

"They had a tendency to play with their food," she said, shuddering. "It simply wasn't enough to feed from someone, they liked to torture them too, whether physically or mentally, but preferable both."

It was Bella's turn to shudder now. She knew of James' sick perversion with pain and torture first hand, and her own father experienced Victoria's brand leading to his death. I looked over at my daughter sympathetically and watched as she rubbed her hand on the area of her wrist where he had bitten her. Though the scar was no longer visible, the memory was alive and well.

"Yet he stayed with them," Rosalie said.

"James was a powerful guy. It is always good to have power on your side, rather than against you," Irina said.

"Any idea of how this will come to play?" Carlisle asked her.

"No clue," she responded. "The Laurent that is here helping Victoria is not my Laurent."

We were interrupted from our discussion by the sound of tires on our driveway. Everyone was immediately alert, wondering who it was. Bella and Edward figured it out first.

"Human," they said in unison. Ten seconds later the scent and sound of the beating hear caught the rest of our attention and everyone relaxed a little. It wasn't until we heard the car door slam that three of us had the same reaction at the same time. Carlisle, Jasper and I all stared at each other in fear. There was a human twenty feet away... and Bella was a newborn vampire.


	16. AUTHOR'S NOTE please forgive me!

Due to a family medical emergency, none of my stories will update until Monday May 17.


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: I am putting this out, unbetaed as it has been SOOO long. I am sending it to my beta ACEMCKEAN at the same time as I am posting and will add the corrections in the next day or two.

A/N 2: I am participating in the Fandom Gives Back Eclipse auction. My name there is Sara. Twilightmommyof4girls was simply too long to use. There are three things I have up for auction. One is autographed New Moon promo pics, one is an original story, and one is an out take of any of my current stories. Visit and bid, it's a great cause.

A/N 3: Follow me on Twitter CallMeMrsWrite.

"It's okay," Bella said. "I won't hurt him."

"Bella?" I asked her. _How could she be certain?_

"I just know," she said. "Just like I knew Emmett couldn't hurt me."

"Bella, we can't let you take that chance," Carlisle said.

"What?" she asked. "Twelve vampires couldn't stop me?"

"Not with your shield," Edward said.

"You could do whatever you wanted and none of us would stand a chance," Jasper said.

"Fine," she said. "I'll go upstairs. But it's just Deputy Mark coming to tell you guys that they found Charlie's body."

"How do you know that? Can you see the future now too?" Alice asked, looking rather threatened.

"I just know," Bella said.

"That is really starting to piss me off," Tanya snarked.

"I beg your pardon?" Bella asked, turning on Tanya.

"Not you, your talent. I hate that we can't define it. It just pisses me off. I want to know," she said, back peddling, obviously not wanting to piss Bella off again.

"If it helps, I don't know what I'm dealing with either," Bella said as she climbed the stairs.

Edward went with her, it was a given. I don't think she would get a moment's peace from him until she sent him away.

"Eleazar," Carlisle said. "Why don't you go and try to talk to her. Maybe with more exposure, you'll get something."

"Agreed," Eleazar said with a nod, as he got up to follow Bella and Edward up the stairs.

Moments later the car came to the top of the drive and a door opened, allowing the full scent to hit us all. It was Deputy Mark.

Carlisle opened the door and walked out onto the porch, hoping to keep the deputy out of the house and as far away from Bella as possible.

"Deputy Mark," he said. "What brings you by today?"

"Dr. Cullen," he said, nodding his head. "Mrs. Cullen."

"Good afternoon," I said from the doorway.

"I'm afraid I have some rather unfortunate news," he said. "The body of Charlie Swan was located today. He was killed in a car accident."

"Oh my," I gasped, knowing what I'd seen. "And the woman he was with?"

"No sign of her," he said sadly. "Though we have contacted all emergency rooms in the state. She would have to have been seriously injured, so I'm sure it's just a matter of time."

"I see," Carlisle said. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No thank you, Sir," he said kindly. "I know your family was close with Bella, and I just wanted to let you know personally. It feels wrong that there is no next of kin for me to notify."

"I guess," Carlisle said.

"Isabella's mother informed us that we could bury Charlie and Bella together. She didn't want anything to do with it," he said sadly.

"How awful," I gasped, not understanding how Bella's mother could be so cruel.

"We are planning a joint funeral on Saturday," Deputy Mark said.

"Can we help at all?" I asked.

"I think the church ladies are going to make a luncheon and Rev. Webber is taking care of the service," he said. "But maybe since your family knew Bella better than anyone else in town, one of you may want to deliver the eulogy."

I heard Bella snort from inside the house.

"I'll speak to my family about it," Carlisle said.

"Just do it, Carlisle," Bella said softly so that only vampire ears could hear.

"Carlisle," I said. "I think we would all feel better if you delivered it."

"If you're sure," he said.

"I am," Bella said quietly again. "If someone has to do it, it might as well be you."

I just nodded my head, giving a sign that Deputy Mark could see, for a response he couldn't hear.

"That would be great," Deputy Mark said. "Thank you."

"I'll be in touch on Thursday or Friday," Carlisle said. "Are donations being accepted?"

"Yes," Deputy Mark said. "We are thinking of a scholarship or a park in their name."

"I'll be right back," Carlisle said, moving into the house.

"The community must be in shock," I said sadly.

"Indeed," Mark said. "And now we have reports of three missing hikers. Without Charlie here, it's just too much."

That peaked my attention. Missing hikers were usually attributed to a rogue bear or some other phenomenon... but that was when one or two went missing. Three was beginning to look suspicious, and I was willing to bet that Victoria and Laurent had something to do with it.

"Not to mention the two local high school boys who have up and run off," Deputy Mark said, referring to Tyler and Mike.

I cringed.

"Are you sure that they've run off?" I asked.

"Yup," he said shaking his head. "They emptied the cash register and the safe at Newtons, and the car is gone too. It happens every few years in small towns. Usually it is a young couple... but from what I'm hearing... it still might be."

All my teenagers, who to this point had been disturbed by the sight of the boys they had known dismembered so cruelly all let out a short snicker. I was more than aware of their laughter, but Deputy Mark was none the wiser, thank God.

Carlisle returned at that moment with a look of concern marring his normally calm features. I knew he was worried about what Victoria and Laurent were up to.

"Here," Carlisle said, handing the deputy a check. "It's the least our family can do."

"Ten thousand dollars! Dr. Cullen, are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. This community has given my family a lot and it's the least we can do to give back," he said. "Plus, Bella has always been a very important person to our whole family. Making sure she and her father are properly memorialized is important to all of us."

"Whatever!" Bella snorted quietly from upstairs.

"That's real generous of you all," he said. "I guess I should get back to the station. Word is bound to hit soon and we'll be fielding calls from all over the state. I'll be in touch soon about the funeral."

"Thank you," Carlisle said formally.

"Thank you, Deputy," I said. "Please call if you need anything. I just realized that our home phones are already disconnected but here is a cell number we can be reached at." I wrote the number down on a slip of paper that Alice had placed on the table inside the door.

"Thank you, Ma'am," he said as he walked back to his car.

I wanted to try to avoid any further personal visits to our home. I didn't want to inflict any unnecessary pain on Bella, though she didn't seem particularly bothered by it.

He got back in the cruiser and drove down the driveway.

"Yum, fast food," Bella quipped as she walked down the stairs. "I'd better get running."

"No problem?" Carlisle asked, with a frown on his face.

"No," she said.

"Did your throat burn at all?" he asked again.

"A little," she said with a shrug. "It was like an annoying tickle."

"How can that be?" Tanya piped up. "I haven't eaten human in three hundred years and my throat is way more than a tickle."

"You may have noticed, Tanya," Bella said, sarcastically. "We aren't the same person."

"Why do you think that this isn't an issue for her?" Eleazar asked Carlisle.

"I wish I knew," Carlisle said. "Did you get anything from her?"

"Nothing," Eleazar said.

"Want to try holding my hand?" Bella asked.

"Do you mind?" Eleazar asked. "I can usually do it if I'm close but..."

"Maybe the shield is blocking you," she said with a shrug.

"So pull him under that shield thing and hold his hand," Tanya said. "The suspense is killing me."

"Look," Bella said, turning to face Tanya. "You are acting like this is some game, or something strictly for your entertainment, and I really don't like that."

"What is your problem?" Tanya asked. "I'm sorry if I was jealous of you. Do you know that I have practically thrown myself at him for most of the last century and he won't even look at me? Yet, you have him and treat him as if he owes you something."

"Enough, Tanya," Edward said.

"You know nothing about me," Bella said.

"No, but I know things about him," Tanya said. "If he would even look at me with half the emotion he looks at you with, I would worship at his feet."

"He doesn't love you!" Bella said. "He never will! Now build a bridge and get over it. Maybe if you didn't look at people for what you could get from them and instead, what you could give to them, you'd be a happier person. The world does not revolve around you."

Tanya sulked, but said no more.

"If we're going to do this, we need to be far from here. I don't think I can spend another minute in HER presence," Bella said.

"Why don't we take him to the meadow?" Edward said.

"I don't like it," Carlisle piped in, "not with Victoria and Laurent on the loose."

"Please?" I asked, looking at Carlisle.

"There would be conditions," he said.

"How about this?" Bella said. "Eleazar, Edward, and I will head to the meadow. You can have anyone, or everyone else patrol. Alice and Jasper can patrol the outer region with Tanya."

"Why?" Alice asked her, looking hurt.

"The father you are away from my shield, the better you can see," Bella said. "I know you find comfort having Jasper with you, and he finds comfort in that too. And Tanya... I just don't want her anywhere near me."

I giggled in spite of myself.

Everyone quickly agreed to the split, agreeing to patrol in groups of two or three. Eleazar, Edward and Bella were heading for the clearing. Hopefully the peace of the area would yield some answers where she was concerned.

As Bella had suggested, Alice, Jasper and Tanya patrolled farthest out. Irina and Kate, patrolled a little closer. Emmett and Rosalie were next, then Carmen, Carlisle and I. This way we were certain that Eleazar, Edward, and Bella could concentrate on the task at hand, determining what her powers were and how they worked. We did not need to go into a battle of any sort without knowing everything.

All was going well, as we did our sweeps I found that we could hear them occasionally and I found that they were making some progress. It seemed that Bella had more than one gift, not that I was surprised with everything we'd seen. As soon as we were out of hearing range, Carmen stopped.

"It's too quiet," she said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"There is no sound, no animals at all," she said.

"You're right," Carlisle agreed, "I was so busy listening to Eleazar, Edward and Bella, I missed it. Let's get on the phones. You call Kate and Irina, Carmen. Esme, call Rose and Emmett. I'll call Jasper, Alice and Tanya.

I dialed the phone quickly, calling Rose.

"Rose," I said. "Is there anything out of the norm there?" I asked.

"It's quiet, Es," she said. "Too quiet."

"Same here. From the sounds of everyone's conversation, it's all the same," I said.

"Has Alice seen anything?" she asked.

"No, nothing," I said.

"We need to withdraw," Carlisle said to me. "Everyone to the meadow, now."

"Did you hear that?" I asked Rose.

"We'll meet Jasper and Alice, and be on our way," Rose answered.

It seemed everyone was feeling the same way.

We broke immediately for the clearing, warning Edward, Bella, and Eleazar on our way.

"Couldn't it just be us?" Eleazar asked as we arrived.

"It's possible," Carlisle said, "But I'd rather be safe then sorry."

Edward moved to the center of the clearing and sat on the grass, pulling Bella with him.

"I don't know what we're facing," he whispered to her. "But I need you close to me."

"What? So you can protect me?" she asked, almost challenging him.

"Some," he answered honestly, "but mostly, I won't be able to concentrate if you are too far away. I need you with me... and if this is the day we are meant to die, I want to face that with you too."

"Thank you," she said, gently kissing his lips.

"None of that," I said, trying to hush the negative talk. "This could be nothing."

"It isn't," Bella answered, leaning against Edward's chest.

"What do you mean?" Carmen asked her. "Can you see something? Do you have a gift like Alice?"

"It's different," Eleazar said, moving towards Bella and putting his hand on her shoulder. "It's like a premonition. She can't tell us exactly what's going to happen, only that it is happening."

"Not so useful," Tanya sneered as she strode into the meadow.

"Shut up," Kate said to her sister. "We very well may be facing an execution squad today and I don't want there to be any infighting. Either get over it already or leave. You're only a hindrance here!"

"Is that how you feel? How you all feel?" Tanya asked, looking at the group. "You think that I am the cause of this? What about her? She came in and took what was mine! First the man I have wanted for almost a century, then my friends, and now my family."

"Tanya," Carmen spoke, "Querida, you are seeing everything through jealous eyes. She is not trying to replace you, but find her own place. You are loved and wanted, but the attitude you display is not."

"And what about you, Edward?" Tanya asked, looking at my oldest son.

"Tanya, you are a friend. A cousin even, but I have never felt anything more than that for you, and I never will. Bella is my heart and soul, and if you can't accept that, if you can't accept her... then I have no more to say to you. Your actions have been deplorable at best."

"Eli?" she said looking at Eleazar.

"You have always been the head of this family, but your actions have embarrassed us all. You need to step back and regain your focus, your composure. You are a beautiful, intelligent, caring woman, but you seem to have forgotten all those qualities, falling into the role of jealous shrew," Eleazar said.

"Irina?" Tanya asked, pitifully.

"You have been my sister for thousands of years. We have seen nations rise and fall, been through trials and tribulations, watched our own mother burn, seen wars and famines, been human eaters, and vegetarians... But never have I seen you treat someone as coldly as you treated Edward's mate," Irina said, slowly. "For the first time in three thousand years, I am embarrassed to be your sister."

"Katie?" Tanya said.

"I love you, Tan. You are my sister by blood and venom. We told you... He wasn't for you. He never has been. You have embarrassed your self and your family with this behavior," Kate said sadly.

"For more than a thousand years, I have had who I wanted, what I wanted... Maybe I am spoiled. But why her, Edward? What did she hold for you, even as a human, that I do not? Am I not pretty? Am I not desirable?" she said, almost pleading.

"Tanya," Edward said. "You are not for me. You never have been. I will not sit and compare you to Bella, it will do nobody any favors. She holds my heart, and has held it since the day we met. She is everything I ever wanted and will ever want."

"I can't stay," Tanya said. "You've all made your opinions of me very clear..."

"No, we haven't," I said. "Tanya, I have know you since shortly after I came to this life. You have been a friend, a cousin. We do love you. We stand by our family and seeing you hurt is killing me, but you are trying to tear apart two people who belong together because of your own insecurities. We want you to stand with us today, with all of us."

"We need your strength and skill," Carlisle added. "Irina needs her sister for support when she faces Laurent today. You have been my cousin for more than three human lifetimes. Don't let that go."

"You all act like it's all me," Tanya said. "Maybe it is. I do not belong here. Edward, Bella, please excuse my behavior. Irina, I am sorry that I cannot be beside you today. My family, my friends... I cannot fight with you today, I will be of no help."

With that she ran out of the meadow, leaving a shocked group in her wake. We stared after her for a long moment, before I broke the silence.

"What do we do now?" I asked, grasping Carlisle's hand as if it were my lifeline.

"I don't know. We still have no clue what's coming, or how to ready ourselves," he responded. "Jasper, you have more technical skill in this area. How do we do this?"

"Until we know what's coming, we are foolish to make a plan. As for now, this meadow is as good a place as any to defend strategically. For now, we stay on our guard, preparing to defend ourselves from whatever comes our way," he said. "We fight for justice, for the human lives lost here and in Seattle..."

"What Jasper?" Alice asked.

"What is the death toll in Seattle?" Jasper asked.

"39 missing, 18 dead," Carlisle answered.

"And that is not counting transients, prostitutes and other people that do not have anyone to miss them," he said.

"What are you thinking, Jasper?" I asked.

"An army of newborns," Jasper said. "They fight hard and fast, they are too savage to care for their own lives, let alone those around them. Laurent and Victoria have created an army."

"Porca vacca!" Eleazar swore angrily, his native Italian coming out in his rage.

"What do we do?" Emmett asked.

"How many are there?" Rose asked.

"Just based on the numbers... I would say at least twenty, maybe more," Jasper said. "Carlisle, we need to contact the wolves."

"Agreed," Carlisle said. "But we need more information. We need to know how many, and when they arrive. We'll have to send out a scouting party."

"No, wait!" Bella said.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Will it work, Eleazar?" she asked.

"I don't know, Cara," he replied. "But it is worth the effort."

"Alice, hold my hand," Bella commanded. "I want to try something. Edward hold my other one."

"Okay," Alice said, moving to Bella's side, and grabbing her hand.

"Just focus on your gift...try to see anything you can about Victoria, Laurent, or the newborns," Bella said. Alice nodded in agreement, closing her eyes and bowing her head.

"Why do I need..." Edward began to ask.

"For me," Bella said, smiling at him. "I need you here for me."

Edward pressed a soft kiss on her lips and picked up her hand, placing a kiss on it, too.

Edward assumed a position, similar to Alice's, while Bella took deep calming breaths, before she too closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"What is this?" Carlisle asked Eleazar quietly.

"I think that she can be more than a block, I think she may also boost powers, if she opens herself up to them," Eleazar said at the same tone.

Carlisle nodded and we all stood silently, all of our attention on the threesome in the middle of the meadow. They didn't move or breathe for a few minutes and I felt like screaming in frustration. I knew that Bella would beat herself up if she couldn't make this work. We watched for a sign, anything that would let us know something was happening. Emmett began to shift uneasily, and Jasper dropped his head in defeat. I was about to give up my own hope when, finally, Edward gasped.

"I can hear you," he said to Bella, opening his eyes to stare at his mate.

"Focus," Eleazar warned from his spot. "Do not disrupt her now."

"No!" Alice gasped as Edward tensed up at the same time.

"This is not happening!" Edward said loudly. "It cannot!"

"What?" Jasper asked, moving to his wife's side.

"You are not facing them alone, Isabella Marie Swan," Alice said to Bella, while Edward held her tightly to his chest.

"I didn't decide that Alice," Bella said. "I have no desire to face them alone. Look again, there must be more."

Alice stared at Bella, looking for the truth in her words, before grasping her hand once more. This time Bella was held in Edward's arms, her back against his chest, as Jasper had Alice in the same position. The two girls joined hands, both hands this time and closed their eyes. Both Jasper and Edward did the same.

Carlisle bowed his head too, and from experience, I knew that my husband was praying.

"There are 27," Alice said. "25 newborns, Laurent and Victoria. They will arrive just after dusk. They are supposed to trace Bella's scent, but that will only lead them to the town, not out here. They won't care... decimating every human in their path. The wolves will come, but they will be unprepared... we need to call them Carlisle, now."

Carlisle had his phone in hand quickly. He explained the situation to the man who answered the phone, Billy I was guessing. He agreed to gather all the wolves and meet with us at the treaty line.

We all moved together, each person with their mate, except for Kate and Irina, who seemed to be clinging to each other for comfort.

As we neared the line, the potent smell of the wolves got stronger and stronger. In my fully fed state, it truly made me want to throw up. I watched as the others all visibly reacted to the smell, except for Bella. Edward apparently noticed it, too.

"Bella, can you smell the wolves?" Edward asked.

"Ummm, I think so," she said shrugging her shoulders.

"It doesn't smell awful to you?" Rose asked, incredulously.

"No," Bella said. "It's just another scent."

"Really?" Jasper asked, his face showing the distaste for the aroma that smelled like a cross between wet dog and garbage dump on a hot day.

"No, I'm lying!" she said. "Honestly, it doesn't smell any better or worse than anything else."

"Lucky," Alice muttered, crinkling her nose.

By the time we could hear the wolves, the scent was almost overpowering, yet Bella remained unaffected.

"Good evening," Carlisle said formally, though the wolves were still hidden by the dense foliage in the area. He knew they'd hear us.

Two wolves, Jared and Paul, pushed through the thick brush right in front of us, growling slightly, the hair on their backs raised. Then, between them came Sam, in human form, carrying Billy Black, his wheelchair nowhere in sight.

"For the record, I told them that this was a bad idea," Sam growled, shaking slightly.

How had none of us smelt that there was a human with them?

Emmett and Jasper moved to Bella as soon as Billy appeared in the clearing, ready to hold her back. Bella didn't even flinch, and even Edward motioned for them to back off.

"So it's done," Billy stated, looking at Bella.

"Yes it is," I said, stepping forward.

"And she is good?" he asked. "What about these deaths? All related to the other two?"

"Yes," Carlisle said. "Bella has no response to human blood at all."

"You look good, Bella," he said, looking at my daughter.

"Thank you, Billy," she said softly.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Content, worried, confused..." she answered.

"You are happy with the change?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "It was what I wanted."

"Why did you call us here?" Billy asked, looking at Carlisle. "You said that it was urgent."

"Why do you not bring the other wolves closer so that they can hear and see what is about to transpire," Bella said.

"We have no other wolves," Billy said, his eyes shifting slightly, giving away the deception that he was trying to convey.

Bella grabbed Edward's hand and closed her eyes.

"Jared and Paul are here," Edward said. "Jacob, Embry, Quil and Seth are back farther."

"How do you know that?" Sam roared, almost dropping Billy he was shaking so violently.

"Edward is a mind-reader," Carlisle explained, "and Bella seems to have a gift for discerning the truth."

"So you are gifted as well, Bella," Billy said.

She simply nodded at him.

"Yes, we do have three more wolves," he said. "They remain in LaPush to guard against any attack from the two leeches that are nearby."

"They don't attack until tonight," Alice said.

"The future seer?" Billy asked.

"Yes," Alice said.

"Where are they going to attack?" he asked. "Will you be able to stop them?"

"They attack Forks, but they won't be alone," Alice said, stepping next to Carlisle. "They have created an army. 25 newborns."

The snarls from the wolves echoed through the woods.

"What do you want us to do?" Billy asked.

"There isn't much time," Carlisle said. "We would like to have your help protecting Forks, killing the newborns, and Victoria and Laurent."

"Why do they come for her?" Sam asked, motioning towards Bella.

"I'm afraid that was my fault," Edward said, stepping forward.

"How so?" Billy asked.

"Last year, three nomadic vampires came through," Edward said. "James, Laurent and Victoria."

"It was an odd combination. Nomadic vampires tend to be solo, or at most a mated pair, but these three stuck together. James decided that Bella would be his next meal. We protected her, taking her to Phoenix to hide her while we hunted James," Carlisle said.

"He managed to call Bella and she gave us the slip, concerned that her mother was in danger, a ruse created by James using old home movies," Alice filled in.

"We managed to get there just in time," Edward said, "and James was destroyed. Laurent had decided to move on, away from James and Victoria and their games, moving in with our cousins in Denali."

"He was my mate," Irina said, "or so I thought, until he lied and returned to Victoria."

"Victoria was James' mate," Edward said. "Now she wants revenge. In her mind, it's a mate for a mate. But she knows that we all protect Bella so she is ready to go to war."

"And what roll do we play?" Sam asked.

"We would like to train you to fight," Jasper said, speaking for the first time. "We know that none of you have fought vampires, yourselves, relying on knowledge passed down through generations. I don't doubt this knowledge at all, but we want you to see first hand what a fight is like, so that you all stand a chance against this horde."

"Why would you do that?" Billy asked. "Teach our kind to be more effective killers of yours?"

"We are peaceful and we rely on the treaty that we created with your grandfathers and ratified with Chief Black to include Bella," Carlisle said. "Your purpose has always been to protect the sanctity of human life. We simply wish to give you the tools to fight those who do not value it at all.'

"You trust us not to turn on you?" Billy said.

"Your word has always been good with us," Carlisle said. "If we were to leave, it wouldn't change the fact that the newborns are coming. The only hope is to lead them away from the city to a large area where we can engage them free from the human population."

"What about the clearing in the Hoh rainforest?" Sam asked. "It is large enough for a battle and far enough from the city and the res to keep the humans safe."

"Perfect," Jasper said, nodding his head.

"Jasper has the most experience in these matters," said Carlisle. "He will be leading us in this battle."

"But how do we lead them away from town?" I asked.

"With Bella's clothes," Alice said. "Since Hoh is before Forks we'll be able to divert them using the scent that remains in her clothes."

"Bella, Alice?" Jasper asked.

Both girls knew what he was asking and Bella quickly leaned into Edward and grabbed Alice's hand. It didn't take near as long as the first time they had done it. I guess Bella knew what to do and set right to it.

"It will work," Edward said, before Alice had a chance, which caused her to pout slightly. The girls remained in the same position as the conversation began again around them. I paid only marginal attention to that as I watched the looks that passed over all three of my children's faces. There was more to see apparently.

"So what now?" Sam asked.

"We need to get there soon, I'd like to give your wolves a demonstration on the most effective way to take care of the newborns," Jasper said. "I would ask that you avoid the redhead and the dark skinned man. They are trained and skilled fighters and they have made many enemies amongst our family. They would pose the most danger to your family."

"I will not avoid a fight that comes to me, none of my boys will," Sam said. "But it is my order that none seek the ones you mention."

"Agreed," Jasper said. "We have very little time so we should get to Hoh quickly."

"I will have my boys there in one hour," Sam said.

"That gives us approximately two hours before the battle," Jasper said. "I only pray that's enough time."


	18. The Battle Begins

_Sorry for the extremely long hiatus. Real life has been... Well, it's just been. This is the second to last chapter of A Mother's Choice. The last will post in the next few weeks. I am not certain if I will add the epilogue to the end of that chapter or add it on it's own after. Without further ado..._

_._

_._

**Esme's POV**

.

After we said our goodbyes to Chief Black and the wolves, we returned to our house and did what we could to prepare for battle. Everyone dressed in casual clothes and all the women tied their hair back. I stayed close to Carlisle, needing to feel his presence to calm my nerves, and I noticed all the other couples kept in close proximity to their mates. The fear of the unknown drawing us near to those we loved. Nobody stayed closer than Bella and Edward. They were constantly touching in some way, refusing to be parted for a second. I smiled sadly at my youngest daughter, facing death so soon.

"What is the plan, Jasper?" Carlisle asked as Irina and Kate joined us, completing the group.

Jasper stepped away from Alice as he addressed the room. Alice moved away too, sitting next to Edward and Bella, and linking hands with her once more. I needed to ask what they'd seen in the forest, and why they weren't willing to share it with everyone at the time, but now wasn't the time.

"First," Jasper said. "Y'all know about newborns. They're faster and stronger than any of us. They are also predictable."

"Predictable?" Carlisle asked. "How so?"

"They always go for the direct kill, and expect others to do the same," Jasper supplied.

"So we don't go for the direct kill?" Carmen asked.

"No," Jasper said. "The most important thing is to keep out of their reach. Give them something to focus on, funnel them to a certain point and attack from the sides."

"So you have a plan?" I asked.

"Yes," Jasper said, looking at Isabella.

"No, Jasper," Edward growled, reading Jasper's mind.

"It will work, Edward," Jasper said, looking at him.

"I won't let you use her as bait," Edward growled.

"Can someone please explain," Eleazar said. "Maybe we should all know what you two are up to."

"Jasper wants to use Bella as bait," Edward growled.

"Explain please, Son," Carlisle said, looking at Jasper.

"The clearing at Hoh has a funnel effect," Jasper clarified. "The newborns will be coming from the southeast and from there it funnels to the northern most point. They know Bella's scent. They know what she looks like. So we guide them to the clearing with her clothing. Her scent will drive them faster, pulling them away from Laurent and Victoria. When they see her, they will be near frenzy. They won't notice our position in the trees and we can attack them from the side, gaining our best advantage."

"And the wolves?" I asked, wondering where they fit it.

"We will give them the same information," Jasper said. "We will position our selves closest to Bella, ask the wolves to bring up the rear flank, pinning them all in and decimating them all before Laurent and Victoria get there."

"It sounds good," Carlisle said.

"It also sounds like Isabella will be well protected there," I added. "She may be the only one they can see outright but she won't truly be alone at all."

"I would like to have you, Alice, Irina and Edward closest to Bella," he said looking at me before focusing his attention on Bella. "I know you have your shield, Darlin' but I don't want to take any chances with you. Walking away from you the first time nearly killed us all, losing you to Laurent and Victoria would certainly finish that job."

"I understand," Bella said, nuzzling into Edward.

"Edward?" Jasper said, asking without words if he would support his plan.

"I won't be parted from her by more than a few steps?" Edward confirmed.

"I wouldn't ask that of you Brother," Jasper said.

"And you are okay with it?" Edward asked, looking at Bella.

"I am," she said, meeting his eyes. I knew he it was hard for him to even consider letting her be in danger. It's in our nature to protect our mates, even before ourselves and

"Alice?" Edward said, asking her to look for outcomes.

"I can't see what Laurent or Victoria will do in this scenario," Alice responded after a moment. "But the newborns are taken care of without a problem. I see them arriving on scene of the massacre of their army but until they decide what to do..."

"But it will be two to twelve, not counting the wolves," Irina said. "They may be strong fighters, but they can't win with those odds."

The room quickly agreed with Jasper's plan. The fact that he had been considered the God of War until joining our family probably helping in their decision more than anything else. We made preparations to leave for the clearing. Bella's clothes were about to be distributed when Bella turned to the others with a question.

"Won't they smell you guys on my clothes?" she asked them.

"They will but your scent should overpower anything else," Jasper said.

"But if Edward and I put the clothes out while I keep my shield up... would that be better?" she asked.

"It's possible," Jasper said.

"And if Edward and I put them out, just the two of us then the rest of you could train the wolves, make them ready for battle," she said.

"That sounds like a good plan," Jasper said, smiling at Bella.

"Also," she said, sounding hesitatnt.

"What?" he asked.

"The Denali's... Laurent will recognize their scent... if they were to wait for the last possible moment to join in... That would be an advantage for us, potentially throwing off Laurent and Victoria some more."

"That's brilliant, Bella," Jasper said.

Everyone was speaking at once, redesigning the battle plans with Bella's suggestions. Finally we got ready to go, the Denali's only going to within hearing distance of the clearing until they were called. Edward and Bella were setting out first with a large bag of Bella's clothes.

"Ready to run, Love?" Edward asked, taking Bella's hand.

"Actually," she said, trailing off and biting her lip.

"What?" he asked.

"Can I ride on your back?" she asked. "For old times sake."

"I will never say no to that request," he said, turning around so she could hop on.

"Don't forget your shield," I warned, as though I were reminding my child to bring a coat.

"I won't," Bella said smiling at me.

"Be safe," I said to them. "Both of you. If you have any doubts at all, join us in the clearing immediately."

Edward took off in a run across the clearing, heading toward Hoh with Bella securely latched onto his back. As soon as they were put of sight, we made our way to the clearing. No sooner had we set up when the wolves arrived.

They really were a formidable sight. Seven horse sized wolves walking out of the tree line with a single man, Sam.

"We didn't smell your mind reader," Sam said, explaining his human form.

"Thank you for joining us," Carlisle said.

"Your group seems to have diminished greatly," he said, looking at the six of us.

"Edward and Bella are laying the bait to bring them here, while the Denali's wait further back to hopefully add the element of surprise to the fight," Carlisle explained.

"Like eight horse sized wolves won't do that," Emmett snickered, causing Sam to smile and an almost chuckle to pass through the wolves.

Jasper explained the plan to Sam and the wolves who listened intently, growling in what sounded like excitement at some points. By the time he was through, Edward and Bella had returned to the clearing, running hand in hand this time. With thirty minutes before we expected the newborns to arrive, Jasper and Emmett ran through a few mock battles to show the wolves what to expect. Sam has phased to wolf form and joined his brothers, and sister, according to Edward, in watching the battle. We knew that the two youngest wolves, Colin and Brady, remained in LaPush to guard the reserve, but due to the pack mind were still getting the full benefit of Jasper and Emmett's tutelage.

With ten minutes to go until the battle, each couple gathered together and whispered amongst themselves. The wolves appeared to be in a state of silent meditation. I held Carlisle close.

"I can't lose anybody today," I whispered to him.

"I know," he soothed, holding me tightly.

"I need them all. Rose, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Edward and Bella..." I said. "Edward finally found his happily ever after, Carlisle. He can't. I can't..."

"Shhh," he said, holding me close.

"She's so new..." I said, thinking of my newest daughter.

"We'll get past this," he said. "I promise."

"Get ready," Alice said, holding, Bella's hands. "They've found the scent."

We all converged on Alice and Bella gathering in a group hug. The wolves split into two groups, one disappearing into the woods on the left, and the other moving silently into the woods on the right. Emmett and Rose peeled away, moving to the left side. They held hands tightly and kissed passionately before disappearing into the thick brush. Alice and Jasper broke away next as they moved to the right. Carlisle and I were last.

"I love you," I told Bella, squeezing her hand. "We're going to be okay." She nodded but said nothing. Carlisle and I moved to the left close to Emmett and Rose. I could still see Bella and Edward from my vantage point. He had her pulled tight to his chest, though she was gripping his shirt as though it were her lifeline.

"Forever," he promised, pulling away from her.

"Forever," she repeated.

My dead heart clenched as she watched Edward step into the trees on the left. Bella stood in position, looking so small and vulnerable. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself and looked straight ahead. This must have been the vision that Alice had seen of Bella standing alone to meet the incoming newborns.

I understood now why Edward and Alice had reacted so strongly to that vision, because even though I knew she was well protected, I still wanted to rush to her side and hold her, carry her away from all the danger.

"Easy," Carlisle said, reading me so well.

I took a deep breath and focused on the job at hand. Destroy the newborns and protect my family.

Then we could hear them. I knew the wolves heard them because I heard a few soft growls and some rustling from the trees where the wolves were. They were not quiet as they moved through the forest. Not only with the rustling of branches and snapping of twigs under their feet, but with snarls, growls, hisses and angry words. I was ready.

"Hold," Jasper said to us, sensing all of our needs to rush out. I felt Irina join me at my side and heard the other Denali's stepping into place. I took one last look at Carlisle, who had assumed a crouch, ready to spring to attack on Jasper's word.

"I love you," I said to him, as I copied his position. Irina crouched as well, ready to attack. I smiled sadly at her, knowing that she may well be facing the destruction of her mate today, a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone. In less time than a human heartbeat, the noise from the newborns had increased ten fold as they noticed Bella standing alone in the field. The trampling of their feet approached.

"NOW!" Jasper bellowed.

We all sprang put of the trees like a well oiled machine. The crash of body against body was mixed with the screams of the newborn army as they were taken by surprise. The wolves jumped in then, closing the newborns in, and their growls, as well as the keening sound of vampire flesh being ripped apart filled the field. I grabbed the first newborn I could see from the side, quickly aiming my teeth for his neck, ripping and twisting as I went. His head was torn from his body and I tossed it toward the center of the field as planned. I quickly dismantled the rest of the body, throwing the pieces after the head. I wasn't even finished, when one of the newborns turned to face me, lunging at me as quickly as he could. At the last second, I dove to the side, ripping his arm off as I flew by. The rest of the fight was quick. I ripped his other arm off quickly and then the rest of his limbs, before finally removing his head. There was chaos all through the field as our family made quick work of the newborns. Even Bella had a dismantled newborn at her feet while Edward was nearby ripping apart two more. I looked around to see where I could help, but between the family and the wolves, they seemed to have everyone accounted for. I was backing up towards Bella when I first heard Victoria's cruel voice, not coming from the far end of the field as we had expected, but from behind me, next to Bella.

"I see my distraction worked perfectly," she sneered as Bella backed away from her, effectively putting more distance between her and Edward as well. Edward growled and moved towards them.

"Don't move, pretty boy," Victoria said, looking at Edward with a crazed look in her eye. There was a torch in her hand which she lit happily.

Bella nodded at Edward, letting him know she was okay. My son was torn. His mate was facing the ultimate danger and he was powerless to help her.

Bella took a deep breath, looking deadly calm. She was not the same Bella we had met. She was no longer Lois Lane.

"I see they finally turned you," she said. "Your so called mate decided to keep you forever I guess."

Bella just looked at her, not saying anything.

"You don't smell like him though," she said. "I smell him on you... but you smell more like Mama Vamp. Did he not love you enough to change you himself."

"Bella," Edward started to say, wanting to make sure she didn't believe any of the vile words spilling from Victoria's mouth.

"Tsk tsk, Pretty Boy," Victoria said, turning up the flame on her blow torch. "No talking. That goes for all of you."

"No matter what happens to me you aren't leaving here alive," Bella said to Victoria. Her voice was calm and clear.

"I'll get out of here," Victoria said boldly. "I always have and I always will."

Bella just smirked at her. "Oh yes," Bella said. "You're gifted."

"I am," Victoria said smirking. "And there is nothing any of you can do about it. I've been in way worse situations than this."

"What happened to your accomplice?" Bella said.

"Accomplice?" Victoria shrieked. "He is no accomplice. Underling, mignon... those are more fitting terms for the little traitor."

"Traitor?" Bella asked.

"It's partly his fault that James died," Victoria said. "If he hadn't have left us we would have taken down your whole coven."

"It seems to me the problem was James," Bella said.

"He was not a problem," Victoria hissed. "He was smart and strong."

"Smart," Bella scoffed. "Certainly not. He was foolish and stupid."

"Take that back," she screamed.

"Why?" Bella asked. "Because the truth hurts?"

"He was foolish," she said. "You were the smart one. You were the one who was able to track me down, while he was off chasing wild geese."

"We were a team," she hissed.

"And yet he chose to go to Phoenix to take on my family alone?" Bella said.

"I needed to provide a diversion," Victoria hissed.

"Really?" she asked. "It seems to be that he would have been better served to have you with him, to insure his safety, rather than go off half cocked and try to enrage a coven that has many gifted members, including the God of War."

"God of War?" Victoria asked, turning to look at the family. When her eyes landed on Jasper, they almost bugged out of her head. "Major Whitlock, I didn't realize you'd been tamed."

"There is nothing tame about me, Victoria," Jasper said. "I might suggest you run now."

"Run? Not until I take care of a little issue. Mate for a mate," she said.

"So where is Laurent, Victoria?" Bella asked bringing the redhead's attention back to her. Victoria stepped closer and Bella's eyes lit up excitedly.

"Oh Laurent," Victoria said. "He's taking care of a little blonde troublemaker who crossed our path a few moments ago," she said with a laugh. "Apparently she has caused him no end to torment with his mate and her family and he wanted to deal with her personally. Don't worry, though, you won't live long enough to see him again."

"Tanya," Carmen gasped.

"Yes," Victoria said. "I believe that was her name."

"No!" Irina gasped.

"Ahhh, the mate," Victoria said, looking at Irina. "You made it too easy for me to get Laurent back under my thumb. A little pressure. A few threats to your... well-being, and he was putty in my hands. He knows exactly how lethal I can be."

"So you had to threaten him to make him help you?" Bella asked. "Is that why he didn't kill me when he had the chance."

"What do you mean?" Victoria asked.

"In Forks," Bella said innocently. "He found Esme and I alone and could have killed us both without blinking an eye."

"No," she hissed.

"I have something to add," Bella said. "You killed my father."

"Actually," Victoria sneered. "He killed himself. You see I told him what I had planned for you and he tried to protect you by crashing us into a tree. A valiant effort, but completely useless."

Everyone moved to get closer to Victoria, even the wolves.

"I will make you pay for that," Bella said.

"It seems to me that I have the upper hand," Victoria sneered. "There is nothing you can do."

"Did I mention that I am gifted?" Bella asked.

"Well it will be a shame to waste those gifts, but I have to do what I have to do," Victoria said, stepping within arm's reach of Bella.

"Do you want to know my gifts?" Bella asked.

"Not really," Victoria said.

"I have a mental shield," Bella said.

"Useful, but not going to help you here," Victoria said.

"True," Bella agreed. "However, my other gifts are most useful."

"What?" Victoria asked.

"My physical shield means you can't touch me. Not with your hand or with the blow torch you're holding."

"No!" Victoria screamed, completely enraged by Bella's words.

"And it gets worse for you Victoria," Bella said. "My shield has an added benefit of blocking powers. So your gift of evasion... useless."

"No!" Victoria screamed again. She turned to face the family and back to Bella quickly. "You're lying." She turned the blow torch up and moved closer to Bella at the same time, aiming her dangerous flame right at Bella's face. We had never tried her shield against fire and each of us stared in horror, worried about the outcome.

The flame hit Bella's shield and seemed to engulf it. Victoria laughed manically. Before the laugh was fully off her lips. Bella reached up her shielded hand and grasped Victoria's arm tearing it from her body. The arm burst into flames as it hit the ground.

"For my father," Bella snarled, still covered in her shield of fire.

Victoria shrieked again as she stared at her arm burning on the ground. Bella grabbed Vicrias other arm and tore it off and it followed the same pattern.

"For Mike and Eric," she said as Victoria screamed again. Then she reached for Victoria's head.

"For my family," Bella said as she ripped Victoria's head clean off her body, dropping it to the ground immediately. Her head and what remained of her torso went up in flames and the acrid scent of burning vampire filled all of our noses.

Bella stepped back and let the flames from her shield drop. Edward was at her side in a moment, pulling her to his chest in relief. The rest of the family surrounded her as well as we celebrated surviving this day completely intact.

"So how does it feel to be Superman?" Jasper asked her, smiling widely.

"That's Superwoman," Bella said, smiling back at him.

The wolves began to clean up the wriggling pieces of vampire, piling them in the centre of the clearing. The Denali's and our family joined in right away. We started a fire and thick purple smoke quickly filled the air. The wolves all stepped back and changed into their human forms, unable to stand the terrible taste of dead vampire anymore.

"Tanya and Laurent..." Irina said, looking up to the far end of the clearing. Sure enough Tanya and Laurent came strolling towards us.

"You!" Irina growled, flying across the field to confront her wayward mate.

"Go easy on him," Tanya said to her sister. "He didn't have much choice with that psycho bitch. Who managed to finally take her down?"

Irina looked at her sister smugly, "Bella."

"Really?" Tanya said, looking across the field at Bella, who had been pulled into Edward's arms protectively.

"Don't start, Tan," Irina growled, still glaring at her mate.

"I behaved horribly," Tanya said. "To Laurent and Irina, by judging him unfairly and never really giving him a chance. Then to Edward, because I let my pride rule, and to Bella who didn't deserve my wrath or judgement. And finally to my family and friends, for leaving in their time of need. I can't promise that I will be perfect from here on out, but I would like to try to earn your love and respect again."

"I am only speaking for myself," I said to her. "But I have heard your words before, and I am going to need to see that followed up with actions before I am ready to trust you again."

The rest of the family nodded in agreement.

"I can accept that," she said, turning to look at Irina, then Kate. "Katie? Irina?"

"I never stopped loving you, Tan," Irina said. "But I am still hurt by your actions. When you walked away today... it hurt more than you could know. I needed my sister more than anything and you weren't here for me. It will take some work but I am willing to try."

"Me too," Kate said.

Carmen and Eleazar nodded.

"Thank you," Tanya said. "Can I help here?"

We all went back to cleaning, except for Irina and Laurent, who had a lot to talk about. Once the area was cleared from the debris, Carlisle turned to Sam to thank him for his assistance.

"Sam," Carlisle said.

"Dr. Cullen," Sam said, looking at Carlisle.

"It was an honor fighting alongside you and your friends today," Carlisle said.

"You too, Doc," Sam said. "What are your plans now?"

"We'll need to leave the area soon," Carlisle said, looking at Bella. "We'll stay for the funeral for Bella and Charlie and then move on."

"Will you return?" he asked.

"At some point," Carlisle said. "100 years or so."

"The treaty will stand then," he said. "You are all considered friends of the Quilieute people."

"Thank you," Carlisle said. "We'll leave updated contact information with you. If you ever need our assistance we will happily provide it."

"Thank you," Sam said, reaching his hand out to shake Carlisle's. Seeing Carlisle's pale cold hand against Sam's darker, larger hand seemed extremely significant. We may be natural enemies, but we were overcoming that to become friends.

The wolves went into the trees and phased, returning to their homes. After making sure that the fire was completely out, we returned home as well. Each couple seemed to gravitate to each other once we got home, reveling in life and love. Later that night we sat around the dining room table and listened to Laurent. I wanted to hate him for his part in everything, but as Bella had pointed out to Victoria, if he had really wanted to kill us, he could have, but he didn't.

"I don't deserve to be standing here," he said to start his explanation. "I did horrible things, was part of a terrible plot and I wasn't strong enough to stand against it, or stop it."

"When Victoria came to see me in Denali, I was concerned," he said, continuing on. "She and James were truly evil. They had no trace of humanity left. She threatened Irina and our coven, and I knew, with her gift, that we stood little chance of defeating her. I made a decision to help her with her vendetta in hopes that she would leave those whom I care for alone. I was wrong, and I am sorry for any hurt I have caused."

"We accept your apology, Laurent," Carlisle said. "But our trust is another matter and is something that can only be earned with time and by your actions."

"Thank you," Laurent said, bowing slightly. The Denali's left shortly after that, needing to be home to mend their own fractured relationships with Tanya, and with Laurent.

We had our own fractures to deal with and after everyone left, we moved into the living room to deal with the fallout of all the events since Bella's birthday.


	19. Epilogue

**Hi all! I am finally taking the time to update and finish all of my stories. This is the final chapter for AMC, but I may add a future-take down the road. Enjoy!  
**

**EPILOGUE:**

_Esme POV_

Silence followed their departure. There had been so many changes, it was unbelievable to think that merely a week ago we had been gathered here to celebrate Bella's 18th birthday.

"Well," Emmett said, finally breaking the uneasy silence. "That was sure a twist from our normal boring existence."

SWACK!

"Rosie! That hurt!" Emmett said, rubbing the back of his head.

"You deserved it you big oaf! When are you going to learn any tact?" she hissed.

"Nobody else knew what to say," he said, still rubbing his head. "I had to do something."

Alice and Bella giggled softly at Emmett's explanation and I couldn't help but join in.

"I, for one, am just glad that we're all here," Carlisle said.

"All together," I added.

Everyone agreed from his or her place around our still mostly destroyed living room. Each of the couples were together, some sitting closer than others. Jasper had Alice pulled tightly to his side, needing to keep some form of contact with her after the threat we had just lived through. He was more aware than any of us how different today could have turned out. Rosalie and Emmett maintained more physical space between them, yet their movements almost mirrored each other. Oddly enough, though they were the most passionate during private times, they were the least demonstrative in regular settings. Carlisle and I also maintained a slight distance in our bodies, though my hand was clenched tightly in his.

Edward and Bella's need to be near each other far outweighed any of their siblings' needs. The changes they had faced had been by far the greatest.

"So are we going to talk about shit or what?" Emmett asked.

"Language!" I admonished, while Rosalie smacked him on the back of the head.

"Why is it that I am the only one who gets in trouble for using bad words?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"You are so uncouth," Rosalie growled, and Emmett's question was swept aside for a moment.

Carlisle, of course, wouldn't let it die completely. "There's so much to say. I don't even know where to begin."

I didn't either.

Jasper looked at Bella and opened his mouth to speak. He seemed to lose what he wanted to say and sat back with a frustrated look on his face.

"I don't blame you, Jasper," Bella said, looking at him.

"How can you not?" he asked her, not looking like the vicious God of War he had been mere hours ago.

"I always knew there was a possibility that something would happen," Bella said with a shrug. Then she smiled and looked over at Carlisle.

"Even as I stitched her up, she didn't blame you," Carlisle said, looking at Jasper.

Edward rubbed his hand along the length of her arm, where the long gash had been just days ago.

"It wasn't your fault," Edward said, looking at Jasper. "It was mine."

"And mine," Alice spoke up.

We all looked at Alice, surprised by her statement.

"How do you figure it was your fault?" Bella asked her.

"I insisted on the party. I didn't even look for the possibility of anything going wrong…" she said, looking down. "I just…"

"Alice," Bella said with a sigh. "Did you intend for any of the events of that night?"

"Of course not," Alice gasped. "But I should have seen…."

"But you didn't," Bella said. "It was a paper cut. An accident. One simple slip of my finger on the paper."

"But I should have been able to prevent it," she said.

"By that line of reasoning we were all at fault," Rosalie said. "None of us had hunted in a while. We all knew that having a human in the house was an inherent danger, yet we had all gone without hunting for days prior to the party."

"Yeah, and she was the klutziest human ever," Emmett said. "We all should have known something could happen."

"But none of you lunged at her," Jasper said. "That was all me."

"Jasper, if you had really wanted to hurt me, not one person in that room could have stopped you," Bella said, seeming to stun everyone with her astute observation.

"The fact that you had allowed yourself to be pulled from the room after I hit the table proves that," she continued when nobody else spoke up.

"But the damage had been done," Jasper said. " I caused Edward's overreaction."

"Did you?" Bella asked. "I think Edward did that all on his own."

"It's true," Edward said, speaking up. "I kind of have a habit of doing that where she is concerned. It's something that I'm working on."

"I may be a little prone to that now too," Bella said. From the look on her face, I could tell she would have been blushing if she still could.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

"Look around," Bella said, surveying all the damage in the living room. "All Tanya did was touch his arm."

Everyone laughed, including Bella and Edward. When the laugher died down, the conversation of Bella's birthday seemed to have ended and silence descended on the group again. Carlisle broke the silence this time.

"Then we left," he said, looking at Bella while he rubbed the back of my hand.

"Then you left," Bella said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Edward said, nuzzling into her neck.

"I know," she said, leaning into his embrace.

"And I'm sorry too," Carlisle said, looking between Bella and me. "You didn't deserve that. Neither of you did."

"I still don't understand it," Bella said. "I'm struggling to understand Edward's reasoning. Struggling to see a point where I could make the same choice. I think maybe that Laurent's situation with Irina is the closest I could see… but even then…"

"I think it had to do with a lot of misconceptions," Rosalie said, looking at Bella. "We were all so certain of our vampiric superiority that each of us felt, in our own way, that we deserved to decide your fate."

"And some of that had to do with me as well," Bella said.

"And how do you figure that, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"I never felt good enough for any of you. I wasn't as smart, as graceful, as beautiful…." she said. "So I sat back and allowed things to happen in a lot of ways."

"You can't blame yourself," Edward started to say.

"I don't," she said. "Not completely. But it played a large roll in everything that happened."

"I should have known, after all the times that you said you loved me. I should have known with all the stupid things you did to protect me that this was just another one. But I didn't. I allowed myself to believe your vile lies because I didn't feel good enough for you. For any of you."

"But you were and are too good," Edward said. "You were the first one to really try to get to know us. You didn't judge us based on appearance. You didn't judge anyone. Not even when we deserved it."

"I used to want to bathe in your emotions," Jasper said with an embarrassed smile. "So pure, so genuine, so gentle."

"You accepted me, warts and all," Rosalie said.

"And me," Alice said. "I know I can come on a little strong…"

"A little, Alice?" Bella asked, laughing.

"Okay, a lot strong," Alice said, laughing along. "But you accepted me for who I was."

"You did that for us all, Sweetheart," I added. "Even once you knew what we were, you never passed judgment based on what we were."

"But…" Bella started to say.

"But nothing," Emmett said. "You just gotta accept that you are special."

Bella was speechless and sat nestled into Edward, chewing on her lip.

"I am not one to say anything against our family, but before you came into our lives, we weren't complete," Rosalie said to Bella. "And I don't mean just Edward, who we all knew was an emo ass…"

"Mom! Why don't you get mad at Rosie for her language?" Emmett asked. Rosalie wound up and... SWACK!

"Hush Emmett!" I admonished, wanting Rosalie to finish what she was saying.

"You complete us Bella," Rosalie said. "You are Eddie's better half. But you complete the rest of us too. I'm only sorry I was too stubborn to see that before."

Bella nodded and smiled softly at Rose.

"I think we all need to make amends," Carlisle said. "Not just with Bella but also with Esme. I for one owe both of them a huge apology. Bella, I too focused too much on something that I never bothered to ask you about. I wanted you to have all the human experiences possible, but I never asked you what you wanted or needed, and that was wrong."

"Thank you," Bella said softly.

"Es," Carlisle said, shaking his head. "I know we have spoken about this in private, but I need to do this more publicly too. I was unfair to you in all of this. I disregarded your feelings and opinions in a heinous way. I wouldn't even listen to you because I was so certain of my own morally superior judgment. But I was wrong. I was wrong to make you feel like you had to choose between members of our family."

"Thank you," I said, placing my hand on his cheek.

"And Bella," Carlisle said. "A week ago I was so certain of myself. I was certain of my skills as a doctor, as a judge of character, and as a man of faith that I was willing to make decisions for you, not with you. I was wrong. I didn't even consider your feelings in my decision.. That is unfathomable."

"I understand," Bella said.

The others all took their turns apologizing to both Bella and I, and though things were still uncomfortable, we were well on our way to becoming a family again.

"So where do we go from here?" I asked, looking around the room.

"Disneyland!" Emmett yelled, before smacking himself on the back of the head.

"Why did you hit yourself, Emmett?" Rosalie asked, looking at him as though he had lost his last brain cell.

"I was just trying to save you the trouble," Emmett said, kissing her hand.

We all laughed at his momentary comic relief.

"Well we need to be here for a few more days," Carlisle said. "We have a funeral to attend."

"And I can't even be there to say goodbye to him," Bella said quietly from Edward's lap.

"It wouldn't be prudent," Carlisle said. "But I know it's important to you, so we'll try to find a way."

"Thank you," Bella said softly.

"Cool! You'll be the only one of us that got to attend their own funeral," Emmett said smiling widely.

"Emmett!" Rosalie growled.

"Sorry," he said, ducking out of her reach. I smiled at his antics as we all agreed to talk again later. Carlisle and I headed for his study, while the children each went their own ways.

Carlisle sat behind his desk and smiled. "Come sit with me?" he asked.

"Always," I said, moving to sit on his lap.

"You think they'll be alright?" he asked me.

"Bella and Edward?" I asked.

"All of them," he responded.

"I think so," I said. "It may take time to find our new normal, but we will."

"Bella has taken to this life with amazing grace and ease," he said.

"She was prepared for it in ways none of the rest of us were," I said. "I wonder if that was why her change was so fast."

"Maybe," he said. "Or maybe she was just truly meant for this life."

"I know that without a doubt," I said. "I knew that the moment I first met her. She really does complete our family."

"She does," he agreed. "Es, I really am so…."

"I know," I said, soothing the furrow in his brow. "We can't change what happened, we just have to learn from it and move on."

"I know, but I should have known better. I have been around for over three hundred years…"

"We all made mistakes, Carlisle," I said. "We all made choices and we all have to live with them."

"But you made the right choice," he said.

"I made the only choice I could," I told him. "Everything happens for a reason, though we are not always privy to it. How would things have gone if you guys hadn't left? Victoria was on her way here no matter what. Would she still have killed Charlie? I think so. We didn't know we needed to protect him. We didn't know she was a danger anymore."

"But…"

"But nothing," I said. "What if she had come when we were hunting? She could have killed both Charlie and Bella before we even blinked."

"And Edward would have followed," he added. "One way or another, there was no way he would have gone on in this life without her."

"Right," I said. "And the guilt and blame Alice would have placed on herself, it would have killed her, and Jasper for that matter." He nodded in agreement.

"But you protected her," he said, hugging me tight.

"I did," I said.

"And you were strong enough to change her," he said.

"It was the only way," I said.

"Maybe," he said. "Alice saw her as a vampire. No matter what actions any of us took to sway that, it seemed that her fate was always to become one of us."

"I don't know if I could have changed her," he said softly. "I believe in heaven and hell. Could I have taken her human life?"

"In this situation, I think you would have," I told him. "You changed us all because it was either vampire life or death. It was the same for Bella. And Edward…"

"He wouldn't have lived without her," he said.

We sat in silence for a while, just relishing the peace that being together always brought.

There would be tough days ahead, but I knew that we would face them together. There would be healing and forgiveness. There would be love. We were a family and that meant more than anything else.


End file.
